Bilawal says Mansoor Ali Shah will be next chief justice of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his opinion here on Tuesday and said that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will be the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Talking to a private news channel, Bilawal Bhutto asserted that both the current and the incoming Chief Justice are highly respected personalities.

He criticized the current functioning of Parliament and the slow justice system, saying that his family had waited 50 years for the verdict in the Zulfikar Bhutto murder case.

Bilawal called for caution in making Supreme Court judges controversial and stressed the need for consensus in any constitutional amendments.

“This is not an ordinary constitutional amendment, which is why we want to build a consensus,” he said, adding that amendments made in the past often lose significance or are scrapped.

He praised Justice Qazi Faiz Isa for curtailing his powers and respecting the Parliament’s Practice and Procedure Bill.

Bilawal also said that two proposals related to the military trial of civilians were included in the recent talks.

He further said that People’s Party has opposed military courts from the beginning. He acknowledged suggestions that those involved in attacks on military installations should face trial in military courts, but said he was open to reconsidering his position and negotiating with the government.

Bilawal also mentioned listening to the concerns of Jamiat Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and agreed that the government should at this time reconsider the amendment to Article 8 of the Constitution.

Reiterating his party’s position, he stressed that any changes to Article 8 should be postponed.

He demanded the government to produce evidence related to the May 9 incidents to establish the PTI founder’s involvement and ensure that the matter is handled in a legal manner.

He said that the court decision related to military courts should be followed.