Articles 62, 63 require parliament's review: PM Khaqan Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday said he wanted Parliament to examine the issue of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, and that he would hold consultations with other political parties for amendment in the constitutional articles.

The statement from the newly-elected prime minister comes days after Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) chief and former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was disqualified by the Supreme Court under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution.

The issue which has been lingering on for a quite long time, said Abbasi, came up whenever a constitutional amendment was brought forth.

He said that he wanted Parliament to examine it as there were a lot of ambiguities in its implementation with ample twists.

"A clarity is required on the issue. The House has to examine it," he said in his an interview with a private news channel.

The prime minister underlined the need for developing a consensus among the political parties over the issue and said that he had already witnessed unity in opinion of different parties.

"I will approach parties to get clarity over its usage," he maintained.

The prime minister, referring to what he termed as ambiguities in the constitutional articles, also expressed his wonder that even a person who failed to declare an account by mistake could be in jeopardy.

He cited the disqualification of former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by saying that the aforementioned article was invoked for not withdrawing salary from his son's company.

The Constitution is a living document and it can be amended in view of the changing scenarios, he added.

This was the first appearance of the newly-elected prime minister in any television talk show after he assumed office on August 1, after Sharif's disqualification by the Supreme Court.

Article 62 deals with qualifications for the membership of Parliament whereas Article 63 envisages disqualification clauses for a member of the parliament.

PM stresses revival of Charter of Democracy

The prime minister also stressed upon developing a political consensus among all the stakeholders.

The charter of democracy should be revived by including all the political parties as it was needed by the country, he said and expressed the optimism that it could be reached prior to the next general elections.

The prime minister said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should also join it if it considers itself a national party.

He said that he would hold the prime ministerial office as long as his parliamentary party desires and would revert to his old position if decided otherwise.

"Nawaz Sharif is still our prime minister. We will continue his policies," he said.

To a question, the prime minister said support by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement- Pakistan (MQM) during his election to the PM office was not a part of any political bargain.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had approached all the political parties for winning their support except PTI.

It was our responsibility to address issues of the people of Karachi, he added.

He said the economic stability of Pakistan was linked with peace in Karachi and the PML-N had made unprecedented efforts to restore law and order in the port city and referred to the launch of first mass transit scheme.