Imran dissatisfied with ‘inactive Punjab PTI’: Khosa

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and MNA Latif Khosa has said after meeting PTI founder Imran Khan in prison that Khan is not satisfied with the performance of the party’s organisation in Punjab and considers the organisation to be inactive.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday, he said the PTI founder had formed a three-member committee for his party’s organisation in Punjab. Khosa mentioned that PTI leader Hammad Azhar asked him to pursue his cases if he was arrested. At this, Khosa said he assured him he would do so without any fee as he fought all party cases for free.

However, he said Azhar did not surrender and said his (Azhar’s) statement with regard to a march till the Adiala prison in September was a political statement.

Khosa said a three-member committee would monitor participation from Punjab in the September 8 march. He said the committee would also monitor whether Azhar would do some work or would remain limited till TikTok.

He said the committee would submit a report to the PTI founder if Azhar was not found active, and it would recommend replacing him and his replacement would take over the organisation.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Member National Assembly Noor Alam Khan said he had proposed more than one constitutional amendment as a private member. He made it clear that his proposed amendments were not against any judge or institution.

Interestingly, though most of the amendments are related to the appointment of the superior judiciary and the chief justice, none of them is related to the extension of the tenure of the chief justice or the seniority of Supreme Court judges.

The amendments are mostly about increasing the representation of overseas Pakistanis in the assemblies, and banning dual citizenship of the judges and staff of the higher judiciary.

Seeking amendments to articles 51, 59 and 106 of the constitution, Khan proposed allocating two seats each in the NA and the Senate, and one seat each in the four provincial assemblies for overseas Pakistanis.

According to the bill, the entire country would be the election constituency for the overseas Pakistanis seats in the NA, while the entire relevant province would be the election constituency for the seats in the PAs. As for the seats in the Senate, the NA would hold the elections.

Speaking on Geo News pgroamme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Khan said he had also sought amendments to articles 177, 193 and 208 of the constitution, proposing that judges, officers and employees of the SC and high courts be banned from holding dual citizenship. Moreover, under the proposed amendment to the Civil Servants Act, civil servants would also be banned from holding dual citizenship.

He said that as is the case with MPAs and MNAs, there should not be any dual nationals among bureaucrats, judges and generals.

Khan also suggested amendments to Article 184 of the constitution, proposing that for cases being tried under Article 184(3), a bench of at least nine SC members be formed, with the right of appeal within 30 days that would be heard by a larger bench than the adjudicating bench.