JUI firm against constitutional amendment, says Haideri

ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, said on Friday that after failing to convince his party's leadership on a proposed constitutional amendment, the government made no further contact, saying that his party would not compromise on principles for the sake of a governorship.

Speaking to newsmen at the Parliament House, he said the Fazlur Rehman-led party would only provide an opinion on the Constitutional Court after receiving the draft of the much-discussed proposed amendment from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Maulana Haideri, who is also the secretary general of the JUI, said that from the government's draft, they had concluded that it contained human rights violations.

He expressed concern that the government was not serious about addressing important issues. "How can the issues be resolved when the government itself is not serious?" he said.

He said that the government was in such haste that it didn't even take its allied parties into confidence.

Haideri said that the JUI wanted the government to discuss the amendment. "It was shared with a party member on the condition that it would not be disclosed to anyone," he said.

He questioned how amendments to the Constitution, which is the nation's charter, could be kept secret.

He said that the PPP had asked them to first review the draft before holding talks, but the draft has yet to be provided. "Previously, we were under the impression that the PPP leadership wanted to support the government in finding a middle ground," he said, adding that the government and PPP seem to have two separate drafts.

The senior JUI leader categorically said that his party would not support Justice Qazi Faez Isa, saying that the chief justice had intentionally given a decision in the Mubarak Sani case and then retracted it under public pressure. "How can we support such a person?" he asked.

He reiterated that his party would not compromise on its principles for the sake of a governorship.

Haideri said that the government was fully aware of how much the establishment was interested in the constitutional amendment.

"It will not leave a good impression if an institution is made controversial," he said.

He also mentioned that they had asked the PTI leadership to prepare a separate constitutional amendment draft.