Mustafa Nawaz demands transparency in constitutional amends

ISLAMABAD: “We don’t want to restrain the Parliament from its right to amend the constitution”, former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said on Thursday.

In a statement, Mustafa Nawaz, a former PPP senator, said that we are only pleading to bring transparency in the issue of the proposed constitutional amendments. “The government should be directed to make the constitutional bill draft public and get feedback from people,” Khokhar said.

“Thang God, Maulana Sahib (Fazlur Rehman), has impede the constitutional amend, people lauding his stance,” he said.

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has also filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) recently, seeking an order to make the draft of the proposed constitutional amendment public and to allow people to voice their opinions before it is passed.

In his petition, Khokhar named the federal government as respondent.

The petition argues that, similar to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, public opinion should be sought before any new amendment is passed.

“Rushing a constitutional amendment through parliament in a single day contradicts democratic and parliamentary norms,” petitioner argued.

The petition points out that the National Assembly’s own rules require any proposed legislation to be published in the official gazette, and at least eight weeks should be given to the public to offer feedback on the amendment.