Bilawal seeks 'meaningful' feedback from public on constitutional amendments

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari shared the draft of the constitutional amendments proposed by the party and sought ‘meaningful’ feedback from the public.

In a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the PPP chairman wrote that this draft was shared with the government months ago with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam weeks ago. He added that recently, the draft has been shared with the high-level parliamentary committee.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the proposal is aimed at completing the Charter of Democracy’s unfinished judicial reforms agenda.

“We propose the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court, with equal representation of all federating units. The court would address all issues pertaining to fundamental rights, constitutional interpretation and federal-inter-provincial disputes” the PPP chairman added.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote, “We also propose ending the process of appointment of the judges, by the judges and for the judges. Instead, by merging the judicial and parliamentary committees we give an equal role to Parliament, Judiciary and legal fraternity.”

The PPP has already been reaching out separately to political parties, Bar associations and civil society as part of our broader countrywide engagement on this important amendment.

“We hope a joint draft can be formed as a result to form the basis of a broader consensus of political parties to pass the 26th Constitutional Amendment” he added.

Earlier, the federal government revealed the proposed constitutional amendments regarding the formation of a Constitutional Court and its composition.

According to the proposed amendments, the new court will comprise seven members, including the Chief Justice, and will have the power to make binding decisions. The Chief Justice will appointed by retired senior judge, and the court will also include the Law Minister, Attorney General, and a representative from the Pakistan Bar Council.

The government and opposition will each nominate two members from both houses, and provincial courts will have a similar composition.

The proposed amendments also set eligibility criteria for judges, including a minimum age of 40, three years of court experience, and 10 years of legal practice.

A Federal Constitutional Council will be established for the removal of judges, with the President giving final approval.

The Federal Constitutional Court’s decisions will be binding and non-appealable, whereas appeals against provincial constitutional courts’ decisions can be made to the Federal Court.

On the other side, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will be appointed through an eight-member parliamentary committee, selected from among the three senior-most judges.