PM Shehbaz Sharif 'consults' cabinet members on constitutional tweaks

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif Friday consulted his senior cabinet ministers on the proposed constitutional amendment, ARY News reported, quoting well-informed sources.

As per details, PM Sharif in his informal consultation with the senior member of his cabinet discussed the drafts for constitutional amendment finalsied by the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The sources say the premier also took his cabinet members into confidence over a late-night meeting with the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

During the meeting, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar briefed the meeting about legal and constitutional matters.

The meeting decided to introduce the constitutional amendment draft with the consultation of the allied parties, the sources said.

Earlier, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman warned of halting talks with the government on the proposed constitutional amendment draft amid ‘pressure’ on their members.

Talking to the media along with PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and other party leaders in Islamabad late on Thursday, the JUI-F chief said: “We are engaging with the government with absolute open-heartedness.”

Sadly, we are receiving reports of pressure being exerted on their members, and both PTI and BNP members are being intimidated.

“If these tactics continue, they will be compelled to stop negotiations,” cautioned Fazlur Rehman.

Fazlur Rehman said that a major opposition party cannot be excluded from constitutional amendments. Any amendment must be unanimous, and the opposition must be taken on board, he added.