ISLAMABAD: As the coalition government and the opposition intensified their parliamentary battle for the contentious judicial package, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan claimed on Thursday that “martial law would have been imposed in the country had the constitutional amendment bill been passed”.
The government pushed the proposed constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in October this year, following the PTI’s request last month for the early issuance of a notification regarding the appointment of the next top judge.
“[Federal Law Minister] Azam Nazeer Tarar and [PPP Chairman] Bilawal Bhutto know nothing about the draft amendments,” claimed Ayub speaking to journalists outside the parliament.
Throwing shade at the treasury benches, the opposition leader alleged that the government officials and their allies’ role in the parliament’s special committee was “negative”. He went on to say that “these people are playing the role of puppets” and alleged the treasury benches were willing to give away all authority to “someone else”.
Praising the “positive role” of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief in the ongoing government-opposition tussle, he said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman gave a clear statement that the draft amendments were “unacceptable” for the opposition.
The PTI and JUI-F, which have been arch-rivals traditionally, found common ground after the February 8 general elections as they both expressed mutual concerns over the alleged interference and manipulation during the polls.
Ayub said that the opposition lawmakers would strongly resist in the parliament if “this genre of amendments are tabled, again”.
He said that it would be tantamount to imposing martial law in the country if the said bill was passed.
The ruling coalition left no stone unturned to woo Fazl, with leaderships of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) holding a flurry of meetings with the cleric, but to no avail.