ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday sharply criticized the government, accusing it of “bulldozing” bills through the National Assembly and Senate and effectively reducing parliament to a “rubber stamp.”
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, Barrister Gohar stated, “Parliament in Pakistan is becoming nothing more than a rubber stamp. The opposition’s voice is being silenced. This march toward authoritarian rule is not the fate the people of Pakistan deserve.”
His remarks followed the lower house’s passage of six bills, including “The Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” which was approved after a detailed clause-by-clause review. Other bills included the “Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” “Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” and amendments to the Pakistan Army, Air Force, and Navy acts.
The PTI leader emphasized that Pakistan’s people reject any legislation pushing the country toward authoritarianism. “Once again, the government rushed these bills through today,” he commented.
Barrister Gohar expressed skepticism that lawmakers who supported the bills fully understood their implications. He also alleged that the government aimed to expand the Supreme Court to 34 judges to appoint a favorable Chief Justice and reduce case backlogs.
Criticizing the judiciary-focused bill, he stated, “The state stands on three pillars. Weakening one weakens the whole structure.” He argued that the government was eroding fundamental rights and steering the nation toward disaster.
