Brazening it out, Pakistan on Sunday dismissed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s concerns over the country’s recent 27th constitutional amendment, urging him to avoid remarks that reflect “political bias and misinformation.”“Like all parliamentary democracies, all legislation as well as any amendment to the constitution remain the exclusive domain of the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan. While Pakistan gives due importance to the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is regrettable that Pakistan’s views and ground realities were not reflected in the statement issued,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.
The FO added that Pakistan remains “fully committed to protecting, promoting and upholding human rights, human dignity, basic freedoms and the rule of law as enshrined in the constitution”.“It is regrettable that Pakistan’s views and ground realities were not reflected in the remarks. We urge the High Commissioner to respect the sovereign decisions of Pakistan’s parliament and avoid commentary that reflects political bias and misinformation,” it stated. In a statement on Friday, Türk criticised Islamabad for adopting the amendment without “broad consultation” with legal experts and civil society, warning that the “hastily adopted” changes could undermine judicial independence and raise questions about military accountability.The 27th amendment has stirred intense political debate within the neighbouring nation. On November 12, a joint parliamentary committee of the Senate and National Assembly approved the bill, prompting the opposition to warn that the government was sounding “the death knell for the Supreme Court”.Also Read | 27th amendment: Where’s Pak headed — a govt-compliant court, an army-compliant govt?The amendment alters Article 243 by abolishing the post of Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and replacing it with a new Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). It also proposes establishing a Federal Constitutional Court and reducing certain powers of the Supreme Court.The first CDF will be Asim Munir, the Pakistan Army chief who was “promoted” to the five-star Field Marshal rank following the conflict with India in May.According to Dawn, the Pakistan government is yet to notify the appointment of the CDF, even as the office of the CJCSC formally ended on Thursday.(With PTI inputs)
