Hearing of petitions challenging 18th Amendment adjourned

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during the hearing of petitions challenging the 18th Amendment on Thursday said in his remarks that purpose of 17-judge full court is not to declare all matters as null and void, instead it aims at settling explainable matters forever. Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja said that courts are not dependent on the Parliament but Parliament is in control by people. Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday remarked that facts of land keep on changing; all the matters cant be included in the Constitution, so limit of powers of the Parliament cannot be defined. Justice Saqib Nisar said that Parliaments powers are defined in Angola and Germany, but not in Pakistan, its powers are being limited on the basis of ideas. Abdul Hafeez Pirzada said that the court has to decide about 18th Amendemnt keeping in view the future. He said that it has to be decided that Parliaments powers are limited or unlimited and amendments which are contradictory to basic structure of the Constitution can be declared null and void. He said that the court has to be decided that either the Parliament has powers to change the basic structure of the Constitution. Hearing has been adjourned till Monday.