Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar addresses a press conference in Islamabad on March 28, 2024. PHOTO: PID
LAHORE:
Minister of Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, on Saturday said that the power to amend the Constitution rests solely with Parliament, adding that only time will determine whether the 26th constitutional amendment turns out to be a correct decision.
The law minister made the remarks as the Asma Jahangir Conference opened in Lahore, bringing together jurists, human rights defenders and political figures who discussed issues related to fundamental rights, democracy, judicial independence and international law.
Addressing the conference, the law minister said the 26th constitutional amendment was initiated to address the need to establish a constitutional court.
He pointed out that on some occasions in the past, the Supreme Court had exceeded its jurisdiction and some death sentence verdicts were found to be wrong upon review.
Senator Tarar said extensive consultations were held with various stakeholders on the amendment and the issues were taken up after taking allies into confidence.
He explained that the amendment introduced the concept of constitutional benches, recalling that objections were also raised during the introduction of the 19th constitutional amendment.
Talking about the transfer of judges, the law minister said the process would involve consultations with the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan and decisions would be taken keeping in view the performance of the judges.
He stressed that while competent judges were available in Punjab and Islamabad, the people of interior Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa also deserved equal access to a competent judiciary.
He said the Constitutional Court had already started functioning and its results would become evident over time.
Stressing the importance of the rule of law, the Justice Minister warned that crossing red lines would have consequences.
On the issue of missing persons, Tarar said it was not limited to Pakistan but was a serious global problem. He added that he himself was part of the judicial commission on missing persons and that he was personally working on this case.
According to the Minister of Justice, the government takes this matter seriously and the judicial commission fulfills its functions responsibly.
He also called it a “bitter truth” that Pakistan has been waging a war against terrorism for decades.
He said terrorism was a “gift” inherited from the West, describing it as a war imposed on Pakistan by someone else.
