Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry speaks to reporters outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on October 9, 2025. SCREENGRAB
FAISALABAD:
To mitigate the judicial backlash, Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said on Sunday that the ruling coalition was prepared to introduce another constitutional amendment if required to “maintain stability” in the country, arguing that parliament alone had the mandate to reshape the constitution.
Speaking to reporters in Faisalabad, the PML-N leader said the 26th and 27th amendments had brought “stability” and that further amendments could follow if needed.
“If another change is needed to maintain this stability, we will certainly bring it together with other parties,” he asserted. “Parliament will make amendments when it wants, and Parliament should do them. Parliament must be seen as a Parliament.”
In response to a question, Chaudhry dismissed the recent departures of senior judges in the wake of the changes as “political” and said the departures were not driven by principle but by partisanship.
He argued that amending the constitution was the exclusive prerogative of the legislature.
“Judges take an oath under the constitution; they are not a political party that they will resign if the constitution is changed,” he said. “The constitution will not be according to their (judges’) wishes, but of the Parliament and the people of Pakistan.”
He went on to say that “every single thing of them (judges) – from their pay to their decisions – is decided by Parliament”, arguing that those who resigned had been “biased” and had issued “political” judgments.
Chaudhry also took a jibe at the past behavior of the judiciary, referring to former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial’s remark to Imran Khan during the trial last year. “There have been many extensions of ‘good to see you,’ but the environment is not the same anymore,” he laughed.
The prime minister criticized “the excessive use of suo motu powers” by the judiciary, saying judges had used them “to send prime ministers home” and to target governments at will.
Commenting on the PTI’s decision to boycott the upcoming by-elections in Faisalabad, he said the party avoided contests “where there was significant opposition”.
The prime minister’s statement comes three days after the 27th Amendment was signed into law following approval by both houses of parliament despite strong opposition from opposition parties.
On November 13, the day the amendment was passed, Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah tendered their resignations, condemning the legislation as an “attack” on the constitution and a measure that weakened the judiciary.
A day later, Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza resigned from the Lahore High Court, also citing the amendment, and more resignations may follow at the Islamabad High Court.
