ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman firmly rejected the draft of the constitutional amendments on Wednesday, labeling it as “unacceptable and unviable.”
Speaking to reporters after a luncheon hosted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser, where PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and former president Arif Alvi were also present, Maulana Fazalur Rehman stated that his party had thoroughly reviewed the proposed amendments and found them lacking.
“We have completely rejected the government’s draft. Endorsing these amendments would be a betrayal of the nation’s trust,” he asserted.
Fazalur Rehman criticized the government for only sharing the draft with select individuals, insisting that the document circulated was not a genuine draft but something else entirely. “We have reviewed what was shared and found it unacceptable,” he added.
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When asked about PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Fazalur Rehman smiled and declined to elaborate further. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan remarked that their meeting had been productive and involved discussions regarding the draft amendments, emphasizing that both PTI and JUI-F jointly rejected the proposals.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the Pakistan government had decided to engage bar associations regarding the proposed constitutional amendments, following opposition from legal bodies. Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar is expected to brief these associations to develop a consensus on the amendments.
On September 16, former President of the Supreme Court Bar, Hamid Khan, announced plans to initiate a “lawyer movement” on September 19 in opposition to the proposed changes.
