PPP to undo Constitutional amendments done by previous regime

Islamabad, May 23 : The PPP is learnt to be planning to incorporate as many as 20 amendments in the Pakistan Constitution through the new constitutional package its is preparing, but it is not yet clear how it would get the package passed through the Parliament as it lacks requisite numbers in both the Houses - National Assembly and the Senate.

Among the 20 amendments said to be proposed by the party in the constitutional package, it intends to undo the earlier amendments done by the erstwhile regime led by President Pervez Musharraf.

"Most of the previous amendments to the basic document over the past few years would be undone, and for this purpose over 20 articles would be drastically changed," an official privy to the draft constitutional package said.

On the other hand, after walking out of the coalition government, the PML-N seems to have decided not to support a constitutional package which doesn't talk about restoration of sacked judges, including deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chowdhary.

"Make no mistake, we would support no package unless the deposed judges are restored first through a resolution in parliament without any discrimination as we have been pressing since long. If we were to vote for such a package that would seek the reinstatement of the sacked justices the way the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) likes, our coalition with it would not have received a severe jolt," The News quoted a senior PML-N leader as saying.

Similarly, a top PML-Q leader said that his party would also not back any constitutional package unless it was framed according to its policy. "We will not toe the PPP line and act as an independent political party."

Without the backing of the PML-N or the PML-Q, the PPP, even with the collaboration of its allies, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the Awami National Party (ANP), the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and independents, is in no position to pass the 18th Amendment in either house of parliament, said the paper.

PML-N also thinks that it might be a gameplan to Zardari to show that he can't fulfill PML-N's demand of restoring the sacked judiciary. "When in the end PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari would not be able to garner the requisite two-thirds majority in either or both houses of parliament after moving the 18th Amendment, he would conveniently say that he can't amend the Constitution because he doesn't have the required figure. This would further delay the restoration of the sacked judges, and this is what the PPP chief wants," said an unidentified PML-N leader.

But, the PPP pooh-poohs this idea, saying that it is unjustified to doubt its intentions. "Anybody who wants real parliamentary democracy must support the new constitutional package as it will dispense with gross distortions in the Constitution," one PPP leader said.

Federal Minister Qamaruzzaman Keira said that the PPP's effort is to have 'some attractions' for all major parliamentary actors so that they agree to vote for it. "When the package will be unveiled, the PML-N would definitely extend support to it because it would also include its demands," he added.

ANI