Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Shazia Marri Wednesday said that establishing Federal Constitutional Court would effectively address the existing legal and judicial challenges in the country.

Addressing a press conference along with Senator Palwasha Khan, she said that formation of Federal Constitutional Court is mandatory and PPP has very clear stance on the issue.

Shazia Marri said that Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been advocating for the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court for quite some time and recently, the PPP has raised this demand of establishing Constitutional Courts with full force.

She urged the government to consult with all the stakeholders on the proposed constitutional package. “The PPP has been presenting its stance with conviction and has come to know about the ongoing constitutional amendments,” she said.

Shazia Marri said the idea of a Constitutional Court has been mentioned in the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and it has been part of the PPP’s manifesto since 2007.

She stressed the necessity of a Federal Constitutional Court to ensure swift, speedy and fair justice. “The PPP workers sought justice for Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto after a wait of 45 years.”

She criticized the current judicial system is often preoccupied with political and constitutional cases, which leaves little room for addressing the grievances of the general public.

Shazia Marri said the justice system in the provinces is also crumbling, and proposed that a constitutional court should be established in every province. “Each province should have representation in the Federal Constitutional Court,” she added.

Criticizing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying, “There is a party that has ‘justice’ in its name but is running away from it. They only want justice for one person, whereas the PPP seeks justice for the common man.”

Shazia Marri called for a collective effort to provide relief to the public and stressed that lawmaking is the prerogative of the Parliament, as enshrined in the Constitution.

She said that that there is ongoing propaganda aimed at discrediting institutions, but reiterated that lies, no matter how they are spun, remain lies. Marri also expressed support for reforms in the judiciary, including family courts, arguing that if proper reforms were enacted, there might not even be a need for a “Practice and Procedure Act.”

On the occasion, Senator Palwasha Khan alleged the PTI for creating chaos in the country and called for adhering to the Charter of Democracy, calling it the unfinished work of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “It is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s responsibility to complete the mission of Shaheed Bibi,” she said.

She questioned that why PTI, which supported the Charter of Democracy and the idea of a Federal Constitutional Court in 2006, is now opposing it!