Pakistan: Political Parties Protest Against 27th Constitutional Amendment Empowering Asim Munir | World News

Islamabad: The joint opposition alliance of Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ayeen-Pakistan (TTAP), which has been harshly criticizing the 27th Constitutional Amendment, took out a protest rally from the Parliament House to the Supreme Court in Islamabad on Tuesday. Alliance leaders said they would observe a nationwide “Black Day” on Friday to protest what they called “ongoing constitutional violations” in Pakistan, local media reported.

TTAP alliance member Allama Raja Nasir Abbas told reporters that the march showcased the struggle to “protect” the Constitution. “We marched from the parliament to the Supreme Court to highlight how all avenues of justice for the people of Pakistan have been blocked,” he said, according to Pakistan-based Geo News.

Allama Abbas stated that freedom of expression is “suppressed” in Pakistan. “People are being silenced, their basic human rights are being violated, we will not remain silent as long as we live,” he said.

TTAP’s protest rally came after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill on November 13, which was earlier approved by both houses of the Parliament. Following his approval, the bill now became part of the constitution.

Earlier on Monday, Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) marched from the Punjab Assembly to Charing Cross in the Mall to hold their protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

After submitting a demand in the Punjab Assembly seeking debate on the 27th Amendment, PTI MPAs led by the party’s general secretary Salman Akram Raja marched from the Punjab Assembly to Charing Cross on Monday, carrying party flags and banners saying “We reject the 27th Constitutional Amendment”.

According to a report by Pakistan’s leading newspaper Dawn, Salman Akram Raja, while addressing the protests, condemned the change and emphasized that the judiciary was being targeted, adding that the subservient judiciary cannot serve the interests of the oppressed and the poor.

Emphasizing that PTI stands tall for the respect and integrity of the judiciary, PTI said, “PTI will not remain silent and continue to fight on the roads and in all other forums for restoration of respect for the judiciary, release of founding president Imran Khan from prison and the nation at large.”

On November 16, activists from the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) political party and its women wing Sindhiyani Tehreek (ST) protested against the 27th Constitutional Amendment, corporate farming, new canals on the Indus River, honor killings and exploitation of the resources of the Sindh province.

Dawn reported that the party’s march started at Jail Road and ended at the local press club where various leaders addressed the participants. Addressing the protesters, PAT President Vasand Thari described the 27th Amendment as “worse than the post-mixed system and an attack on democracy”. He accused the rulers of distorting the Constitution, suspending fundamental rights and subjugating the judiciary through the 27th Amendment, enabling them to plunder Sindh’s mines and other resources unchecked.