ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari acknowledged on Wednesday that the PPP’s approval of the 19th constitutional amendment was a “mistake.”
19th amendment
While speaking to the National Assembly, the PPP chairman claimed that the party had been threatened with the 18th amendment being revoked if the 19th amendment was not passed; “We caved in and passed the 19th amendment.”
He claimed that the PPP should have stood up to the people who at the time threatened the government.
Asif Zardari, a former president, signed the 19th Amendment Bill into law in 2011. This made it a part of the Constitution. While proposing a new system for appointments in the superior courts, the 19th Amendment Bill sought to eliminate a potential point of contention between the judiciary and the executive.
Bilawal stated, “It is unfair that there is one Constitution for us [the coalition government] and another for the ‘ladla’ [favourite]” in reference to the Supreme Court’s decision that was announced a day earlier.
The Punjab Assembly’s deputy speaker’s decision during the CM election was deemed “illegal” by the Supreme Court, which also removed PML-N candidate Hamza Shahbaz from his position as well as named PTI-backed Pervez Elahi the new chief minister of Punjab. Furthermore, the SC had also denied the petition submitted by the coalition government.
“Can all the sins and violations of the Constitution committed over the last 70 years be forgiven by taking a neutral stance for one day?” he asked, emphasising the importance of forming a joint parliamentary committee for judicial reforms. “The PPP is prepared for judicial reform,” he declared.
