Dawood Ahmed: The Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Saturday that the government could move another constitutional amendment if circumstances required it to uphold political stability in the country.
His remarks came shortly after the 27th Constitutional Amendment was enacted, having passed both houses of parliament amid strong objections from opposition parties. Speaking to journalists in Faisalabad, the PML-N leader maintained that the 26th and 27th amendments had helped steady the political situation. “If further improvements are required to keep this stability intact, we will bring them forward with our coalition partners,” he said. He added that legislation was solely the prerogative of parliament and that the institution must be recognised as the nation’s principal lawmaking authority.
Commenting on the resignations of senior judges, Chaudhry termed them “politically motivated”. On the day the 27th Amendment came into force, Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah resigned, criticising the new law as harmful to constitutional order and judicial independence. The following day, Lahore High Court’s Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza also stepped down for the same reason, and reports suggest further resignations may surface from the Islamabad High Court.
Chaudhry stressed that constitutional amendments were parliament’s exclusive domain. He said judges were bound by their oath to the Constitution and “were not a political group that resigns every time the Constitution is revised.” He accused the departing judges of bias and of delivering judgments with political undertones, remarking that the “good to see you” era, an indirect reference to former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s remark to Imran Khan, had passed.
The minister also criticised the past use of suo motu powers, now withdrawn under the 27th Amendment, saying they were frequently invoked to remove elected prime ministers or disrupt governance.
Turning to upcoming by-polls in Faisalabad, Chaudhry said the PTI’s boycott reflected its unwillingness to contest competitive seats. With the PTI absent, TLP banned, and PPP not fielding candidates, the PML-N is poised to sweep all five constituencies on November 23.
