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. ”
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 While Pakistan gives due importance to the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 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. 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”.
“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. “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. The 27th amendment has stirred intense political debate within the neighbouring nation.
The Pakistan government is yet to notify the appointment of the CDF, even as the office of the CJCSC formally ended on Thursday, according to Dawn.