ISLAMABAD: Hours after the Supreme Court annulled its 2022 verdict on the interpretation of Article 63(A) of the Constitution, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he accepts the verdict but warned against any ‘match-fixing’ amid the government’s efforts to pass judiciary-centric constitutional package.
Deemed a major win for ruling coalition, the apex court unanimously accepted a review petition against its 2022 verdict related to the defection clause, which barred lawmakers from going against party directions when voting in parliament. In its May 17, 2022 verdict, the SC — via 3-2 judgment — ruled that votes cast contrary to the parliamentary party lines in four instances outlined in Article 63(A) should not be counted. These four instances are the election of prime minister and chief minister; a vote of confidence or no-confidence; a Constitution amendment bill; and a money bill. Three judges — then-CJP Umar Ata Bandial, then Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar — had voted in favour whereas Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel were the dissenting judges. Today’s verdict, pronounced by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, means that in any future legislation, the votes of parliamentarians who deviated from their party’s directives and policies will be counted.
“We accept the court’s ruling, but there should be no match-fixing […] It should not become a mean of buying or selling,” the JUI-F chief said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday.
In response to a question regarding potential horse-trading ahead of constitutional package, Maulana Fazl said that not a single member of his parliamentary party has ever resorted to “floor crossing” in national and provincial assemblies.
Meanwhile, the veteran politician also asked the government, which he believes isn’t true representation of the people, to defer the tabling of constitutional amendment ahead of all-important upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, scheduled for October 15 and 16 in Islamabad.
In July this year, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had elaborated on details of the upcoming SCO moot, saying there would be a ministerial meeting and multiple rounds of senior officials’ meetings to concentrate on fostering cooperation in finance, economics, socio-cultural affairs and humanitarian efforts among member states.