Delay after delay: Pakistan govt struggles to hold key meetings on constitutional amendments

Following an alleged consensus on the 26th constitutional amendment, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initially scheduled a federal cabinet meeting for 9:30 a.m. today, only to postpone it multiple times—first to 11 a.m., then to noon, and now to 1:30 p.m. Over an hour later, the meeting has yet to commence.

Similarly, the Senate session, originally set for 11 a.m., was rescheduled to 12:30 p.m. and later to 3:00 p.m. It has now been put off until 6:30 p.m. The National Assembly session, which will follow the Senate session, was earlier moved to 3 p.m. It has now been moved to 7 p.m.

Alleged consensus

A day earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Syed Khursheed Shah, head of the special committee on constitutional amendments, claimed that a unanimous consensus had been reached on the government’s proposed amendments, with the committee approving the draft.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has been pushing to pass these amendments for over a month but struggled to gain full support, even from its coalition partners.

The proposed amendments aim to create a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), raise the retirement age for superior judges by three years, and modify the process for appointing the Chief Justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court.

The opposition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), claims the changes are intended to extend the tenure of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, whom they view as aligned with the government and against their leader, Khan. The government denies these allegations. The apex court has also scheduled the CJP's farewell reference.

Speaking after the meeting, Shah said the draft would be presented to the federal cabinet. The proposal also includes provisions allowing overseas Pakistanis to participate in elections.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has been pushing to pass these amendments for over a month but struggled to gain full support.Nukta

Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) added, "We have reached a near-consensus on the draft. The proposal is almost finalized."

However, PTI rejected claims of unanimous approval. PTI leader Malik Aamir Dogar called reports of joint approval "baseless," stating that both he and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) member Shahida Rehman opposed the draft.

Dogar also said PTI's leadership is still in discussions with Maulana Fazlur Rehman regarding the amendments. "We informed the committee that final approval would depend on the outcome of our leadership's meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman. As of now, PTI’s stance is to reject the draft," he explained.

He further criticized the committee for disregarding PTI’s suggestions and moving forward with approval. "It should be on record that PTI opposed the draft," Dogar stressed.

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Following a meeting with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said the party’s leadership would now discuss the matter with PTI founder and incarcerated former premier Imran Khan.

Barrister Ali Zafar confirmed that the PTI leadership will consult with Khan and follow his instructions.