Judiciary took away parliament's power to appoint judges: Bilawal.

Byline: Amjad Mahmood

LAHORE -- Pakistan PeoAples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has alleged that the judiciary had forced the then government in 2010 to get passed the 19th Constitution AmeAnAdment, which did away with the parliamentary comAmittee's role in appointment of judges of superior courts.

'Through the 18th AmenAdAment our government had introduced a parliamentary commission for appointment of judges, but the judiciary got [the role of] the parliamentary commission forcibly abolished through the 19th Amendment,' he said while speaking at a dialogue on '18th Amendment to the Constitution and Federalism', arranged by the Lahore University of Management Sciences on Friday.

'After the amendment, the judiciary has become 'from the judiciary, by the judiciary and for the judiciary',' he added.

Defending the then PPP government's surrender to pressure from the judiciary, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that had it not done so the judiciary could have reviewed [and weakened] the 18th Amendment. He said political parties would have to review the 19th Amendment at an appropriate time.

Says political parties will have to review 19th Amendment at appropriate time

He admitted the corruption phenomenon in the country, but said there's vendetta and not accountability to check it. 'NAB is holding accountable only rivals of the government. Nawaz Sharif is our rival, but is a target of vengeance. Imran Khan has through an executive order excluded businessmen and bureaucrats from the accountability mechanism. He views only politicians and that too from the opposition ranks only as corrupt,' he added.

The PPP chairman said he favoured an accountability process that's across the board and through a transparent mechanism. 'There should be a system in which politicians, judges, generals, bureaucrats and businessmen could be summoned for accountability.'

Recalling his mother Benazir Bhutto's struggle for restoration of the 1973 Constitution, Mr Bhutto-Zardari chided former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for trying to become Amirul Momineen instead of restoring the Constitution when he got a chance to work. He said the federal democratic system had been promised at the time of inception of Pakistan and that the country could run on the basis of federalism.

Defending the 18th AmeAnAdAment, he said the separatist movements ran out of steam when the provinces were given administrative and financial powers. He said conditions of federating units had improved...