Senator Ifran Siddiqui refutes rumors concerning constitutional amendments

ISLAMABAD, Sep 18(SABAH): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Wednesday said that there was no plans to extend the term of the Chief Justice or to raise the retirement age the judges.

“These are merely speculations circulating in the media and the government has no such plans,” Senator Irfan Siddiqui said during an interview with a private TV channel. He expressed confidence that Maulana Fazlur Rehman will agree to constitutional amendments, and the amendments will be passed by the Parliament with the cooperation of JUI-F and other parties.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that the Parliament is the mother of all institutions and will address matters related to salaries and retirement of the judges as it did in the past. The senator said that the process of constitutional amendments has not hit snags rather it is moving to next stage in which the PML-N and PPP are playing an active role. He said that bar associations will also be consulted and their opinions and suggestions will be incorporated.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui referred to a petition filed in the Supreme Court that sought orders to prevent Parliament from legislating and said “the move is akin to stopping the judiciary from making decisions”. Responding to a question, he said there can be no constitutional amendment in the absence of two-thirds majority. He said some 25 or 26 amendments have already been made in the constitution and all went through a consultation process for approval.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that Bilawal Bhutto zardari has had multiple meetings with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, during which he made concerted efforts to convince him regarding the amendments. He said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed concerns, and it was decided that the consultation process would continue to reach a consensus. He recalled that the Charter of Democracy was signed eighteen years ago, and both Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Imran Khan later agreed upon.

 He emphasized that the provisions agreed upon by Nawaz Sharif in the Charter of Democracy are widely accepted, and reaching out for amendments is not solely his responsibility. Regarding the appointment procedure of judges set out in the 18th Amendment, he explained that it was abolished through the 19th Amendment due to pressure from then-Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

This procedure has been included in the recent constitutional amendment to restore it, he said. Senator Irfan Siddiqui stated that the numbers without Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is fundamentally in agreement with the amendments but wants detailed discussion, are incomplete for the legislation.

“Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s support is a must for the constitutional amendment and the PPP is playing a big role to take him on board,” he said. In another question, he said that there was no practice of appointing the senior judge as Chief Justice since the creation of Pakistan. This scheme was changed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, who himself faced consequences for being seventh on the seniority list. “We aim to restore the process envisaged through the 18th Amendment of appointing one of the four most senior judges as Chief Justice,” he said.