QUETTA: Pakistan Peoples' Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated his party's firm stance to bring judicial reforms without accepting pressure from any side.

"This not possible that we do not accomplish necessary task by succumbing to someone's pressure," said Bilawal while addressing an event of Peoples Lawyers Forum here.

He claimed that PPP was told to withdraw recently proposed constitutional amendments or in another case, it should take back 18th Amendment.He stated that he secured $ 400 million loan for flood victims, which government has kept for itself.

He said that federal share should be given to Sindh and Balochistan as they are being treated unfairly. Whether it's $ 400 million World Bank loan or ongoing World Bank projects in Sindh, or European Union's announced aid of € 700 million, Bilawal stated that he collected all this funding as Pakistan's Foreign Minister and made appeals for help to world alongside Prime Minister.

He said that existing mechanism of judicial appointments was not in favour for nation but only for judges. He stressed necessity of reforms citing existing procedure of appointments in judiciary.

He emphasised forming parliamentary committee comprising treasury and opposition lawmakers to decide on judges' appointment. Bilawal suggested that judge would not be appointed if recommended name fails to win majority in committee.

Country's judicial system could not serve justice to victims of terrorism and also highlighted huge pendency of cases in different courts. He advocated formation of constitutional court in country with equal representation of all provinces. He added that time has come to rectify judicial shortcomings.

He was of view that not only in Islamabad, constitutional courts should also be established in provinces which is necessary step to dispatch timely justice on provincial level. He, however, clarified that consensus on mechanism for provincial constitutional courts is yet to be developed.

Bilawal said that they "Only criticised due to political differences" when responding to opposition's criticism of proposed constitutional amendments.

"We will try to prepare consentient draft as per wishes of [late PPP chairman and ex-premier] Benazir Bhutto as she suggested judicial reforms in 2006," he vowed.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 01 2024

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