Jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan sharply criticized the judiciary-centric constitutional package, which remains largely undisclosed. Speaking informally with journalists at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Monday, Khan claimed that the ruling coalition is pushing for constitutional amendments to ensure he remains imprisoned.
“These new amendments will ruin the country’s future,” Khan warned. He further accused the government of trying to dismantle the judiciary, stating, “They have decided to destroy the judiciary.”
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When asked about the idea of creating a separate court for constitutional matters, Khan expressed skepticism, arguing that the current government fears the Supreme Court and wants to establish a separate constitutional court as a result. He also accused the federal government of engaging in such actions to cover up election fraud.
Khan and his party have long alleged that the general elections held on February 8 were rigged, claiming that their significant electoral victory was stolen through “manipulation of results via Form-47.” He asserted that the government fears the consequences if election irregularities are revealed.
Regarding his future plans, Khan declared that the PTI would not remain silent and would stage a strong protest against the government’s actions.
Read more: Constitutional amendment bill postponed for indefinite period
Both treasury and opposition parties are locked in a fierce contest in parliament over the government’s proposed constitutional amendment bill. The bill reportedly includes provisions to extend the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in October, and to raise the retirement age for judges.
However, the government has struggled to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament to pass any constitutional amendment. Despite extensive efforts on Sunday, they failed to gain support, particularly from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
After unsuccessful attempts to win over the JUI-F chief, the government decided to “indefinitely postpone” the presentation of the constitutional package.
Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui told Geo News that while Fazl’s objections were reasonable, he did not oppose the amendments on principled grounds. Siddiqui noted that Fazl needed more time to review the draft.
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Opposition parties, including PTI and JUI-F, criticized the government’s secrecy regarding the amendments, demanding that the original draft be presented in parliament for open debate before any approval.
In the National Assembly, the government is currently short of 13 votes to pass the constitutional amendment, while in the Senate, it lacks nine votes.