ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Thursday that the coalition government’s seven members of the National Assembly (MNAs) would vote against the proposed constitutional amendments.
“The government’s numbers are only complete in their books. The government neither consulted its members nor answered out of fear,” PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan told Geo News.
He said he had received the news about the seven treasury benches members’ refusal to cast vote from reliable sources.
“The government members said they will not vote even if they are disqualified,” he said, adding that the legislators believe those voting in favour of the constitutional amendments would be doing so against their conscious.
Probably, he said, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also knew that parliamentary members of his own party were not going to vote for the amendment.
His remarks came as the Special Committee of the parliament met again on Thursday to discuss the draft amendments in the Constitution, proposed by the government.
Special committee’s chairman Khursheed Shah said the meeting on the 26th constitutional amendment was convened at the request of the PTI chief whip Aamir Dogar.
The constitutional package, among other things, aims to set up a federal constitutional court and fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for three years.
The government had attempted to present the bill to amend the Constitution last month, but its allies as well as members from the opposition benches vehemently opposed the proposal, forcing the administration to begin a consultation process.
To pass the constitutional amendments, the government requires a two-thirds majority in parliament, with sources indicating a shortfall of 13 votes in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate.
‘Truths’
Talking to journalists after coming out of the committee meeting, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said he kept the “truths” before the committee.
He said coercive tactics were being used against those opposing the proposed constitutional amendments.
“PTI leader Zain Qureshi’s wife was abducted, Daud Shah and several MNAs and their family members were kidnapped, and a raid was carried out at my house. Members of the JUI-F were also threatened,” he said, apprising that the JUI-F had not yet shown willingness to agree to the government’s draft.
Hoping to reach a consensus on the amendments, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said it was a day of good and positive news today.
