JUI-F rules out supporting constitutional amendments without PTI

ISLAMABAD: Amid the prevailing ambiguity surrounding the narrative of the prospective constitutional amendments being pushed by the ruling coalition, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has ruled out any tweaks to the Constitution without the Pakistan Tehkree-e-Insaf (PTI).

Speaking to a private TV channel, JUI-F’s Senator Kamran Murtaza said that they cannot ignore the PTI and that the Constitution cannot be called a consensus-oriented one if the Imran Khan-founded party is not on board.

The lawmaker’s remarks come amid strenuous efforts by the incumbent government to woo the JUI-F in its bid to secure relevant numbers in the parliament to successfully pass the constitutional package provisioning a three-year fixed tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) as well as the establishment of a constitutional court.

A day earlier, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman hinted at closing in on a consensus with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

“It is our responsibility to create a balance among all the institutions. We have almost reached a consensus,” said Fazl, adding that he would meet Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday.

Must Read

The Imperial Presidency

  WASHINGTON WATCH News broke this week that President Donald Trump was conditioning approval of an infrastructure spending bill on renaming New York City’s Penn Station...

Beyond domestic discontent

Markets without referees