IHC moved to make constitutional amendments' draft public

ISLAMABAD: A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to make the draft of proposed constitutional amendments public, ARY News reported.

As per details, the petitioner, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, argued that public opinion should be sought on the current amendments, just like in the case of the 18th Amendment.

He stated that passing amendments in a single day goes against democratic and parliamentary principles, citing the National Assembly’s rules that require publication of proposed legislation in the official gazette.

The petitioner requested that the government be directed to publish the proposed constitutional amendment bill in the official gazette and upload the draft on the Law Ministry’s website and that the public be given eight weeks to provide their opinion on the amendments.

Read more: Proposed constitutional amendments challenged in SC

Earlier, a new petition challenging constitutional amendments was filed in the Supreme Court (SC).

According to details, the petition against the constitutional amendments was moved by Advocate Saeem Chaudhry in the Supreme Court.

The petition argues that Article 179, concerning the retirement age of judges, should be declared a fundamental part of the Constitution.

It also requested a ruling that the government cannot interfere with the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.

The petition calls for the constitutional amendments to be declared null and void, stating that they violate fundamental rights, the Constitution, and the independence of the judiciary.