Deputy PM references 2006 agreement to highlight bipartisan support for judicial reform

In a significant political statement on the floor of the Senate, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar asserted that the proposal for establishing a Constitutional Court in Pakistan was signed by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as part of a past political consensus.

Speaking in the Senate, Ishaq Dar referred to the 2006 ‘Charter of Democracy’ (CoD) signed in London between the late Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Dar claimed that the idea of a Constitutional Court was embedded in the CoD, and its contents were endorsed by the leadership of all major political parties, including the PTI founder, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Asfandyar Wali. This statement comes amidst intense parliamentary debate over the proposed constitutional amendment.

Meanwhile, Senator Afnan Ullah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) adopted an aggressive stance in support of the proposed amendment. He launched a sharp critique of PTI’s past association with the judiciary’s controversial decisions.

Senator Afnan Ullah challenged the opposition, stating: “The judiciary that facilitated you [PTI] by tearing up the Constitution—did you find that acceptable?” He specifically referenced the tenures of former Chief Justices Saqib Nisar and Umar Ata Bandial, alleging they made decisions by including their friends on the bench, and sharply questioned, “Was that judiciary acceptable?” These statements underline the high political stakes surrounding the judicial reform debate.

The proposed constitutional amendment’s full draft has already been approved by the Joint Standing Committee on Law and Justice of the Senate and National Assembly, moving it into the final stages of parliamentary discussion and approval.