Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah firmly rejected the impression that the current status of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan had any connection with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to withdraw the proposed immunity clause for the premier, which was part of the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
According to a report, government senators Anusha Rahman and Khalil Tahir Sindhu had presented the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, proposing an extension of the presidential immunity available under Article 248 of the Constitution to the office of the prime minister.
The proposed clause aimed to extend the scope of presidential immunity to the prime minister, ensuring that no criminal proceedings could be initiated against the premier while holding office.
Article 248 of the Constitution states that no criminal proceedings can be initiated or continued against the president or a governor in any court during their term in office.
However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while directing the withdrawal of this clause on Sunday, stated that the prime minister must remain “fully accountable” at all times.
Separately, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that the prime minister had already informed him that he was not interested in seeking any form of immunity, as the office of the prime minister is administrative in nature.
In a private TV channel program, when Rana Sanaullah was asked whether the clause was withdrawn because it could potentially benefit the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he replied that if the government had intended such an outcome, it could have framed the clause in a way that it would apply only from the present onward.
He added that the prime minister had taken a truly democratic decision, for which he deserved appreciation.
Further commenting, the adviser noted that the office of the prime minister is not constitutional but rather an administrative and elected position; therefore, it must remain directly accountable to the public.
