Bilawal Bhutto warns: Uncontrollable situation looming without constitutional amendments

Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, reiterated his determination to finalize the constitutional amendments, stating that if the amendments are made before October 25, the matter will be resolved peacefully.

In an informal conversation with Supreme Court reporters in Islamabad, a journalist asked Bilawal Bhutto Zardari whether he supported military trials for Imran Khan.

Bilawal responded by saying, “We need to see what the evidence is. In any case, the power to grant presidential pardon rests with us.”

He also emphasized that the Pakistan Peoples Party is against the death penalty.

When asked if the deadline for the proposed constitutional amendments is October 25, Bilawal said that if the amendments are made before October 25, the issue will be resolved peacefully. “They can happen later too, but then the situation might escalate into a confrontation.”

Bilawal further stated that the matter of the constitutional court will not be left unfinished, and they will ensure its completion.

Regarding the delay in taking action, he remarked, “We have already been delayed for too long. Our demand has been there since 2006, and it is part of our manifesto.”

The PPP chairman questioned why the judiciary’s timing on certain actions was not being scrutinized.

He pointed out that the timing of the stay order on reserved seats and the four-page clarification issued by the judges on a Saturday, just before a parliamentary session scheduled for September 14, raised concerns.

Bilawal also mentioned that the term of the head of the constitutional court would be three years and reiterated his party’s opposition to the establishment of military courts.

He added that the justification for establishing a federal constitutional court is rooted in the Supreme Court’s own historical precedents.

Bilawal criticized the handling of the Karachi lawlessness case, which has been ongoing since 2011.

He noted that a water commission emerged from the case, which ended up inspecting areas where there was no water.

He further accused the judiciary of affecting the PPP’s local government system under the pretext of addressing Karachi’s unrest. “Is unrest limited to Karachi? Is there no unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan?” he asked.

Bilawal also said that the decision on who would become the army chief and who wouldn’t became a game. He stated that the events of May 9 were the closest thing to a rebellion.

Concluding his remarks, Bilawal warned that if the constitutional amendments are not made, the resulting situation might become uncontrollable.

He added that the 18th Amendment was instrumental in preventing the imposition of martial law.