Pakistan rejects UN rights chief’s concerns over 27th Amendment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan urges the United Nations High Commissioner to avoid commentary on the 27th Constitutional Amendment “that reflects political bias and misinformation”.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Saturday, cautioned that Pakistan’s hurried constitutional amendments “seriously undermine judicial independence, and raise grave concerns about accountability and respect for the rule of law”.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Sunday, rejecting the concerns of the High Commissioner and insisting that “The constitutional amendments adopted by the Parliament of Pakistan followed due procedures as enshrined in Pakistan’s Constitution”.

The statement highlighted that the Constitutional tweaks were adopted by the two-thirds majority of the parliament and that “all legislation, as well as any amendment to the Constitution, remains the exclusive domain of the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan”.

“Democracy and democratic methods form the bedrock of civil and political rights, and therefore must be respected,” it said.

The ruling coalition, earlier this month, had passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment in the Senate and the National Assembly amid resistance from the opposition benches, which eventually came into effect on November 13 after President Asif Ali Zardari’s assent.

The amendment was first passed by the Senate; however, the NA approved it with 234 votes and added tweaks, which were once again approved by the Senate by 64 votes (two-thirds majority in the 96-member House).

“Under the changes adopted on November 13, a new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has been given powers over constitutional cases, replacing the previous authority of the Supreme Court, which will now only deal with civil and criminal cases,” the statement read.

Reacting to Turk’s statement, the FO on Sunday accentuated that the constitutional amendments adopted by the parliament followed due procedures as enshrined in the country’s Constitution.

“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 of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the FO’s statement read.

Noting that it was regrettable that Pakistan’s views and ground realities were not reflected in the statement issued, the FO urged the UN high commissioner for human rights to “respect the sovereign decisions of Pakistan’s parliament and avoid commentary that reflects political bias and misinformation”. Staff Report