Islamabad:

Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that lawmakers can vote separately from their parties on major issues, allowing parliamentary horse-trading as the government tries to rally support for constitutional reform.

Elections in February were marred by allegations of rigging that favoured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who heads a shaky coalition lacking the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution.

He is reportedly planning to give the executive more power over the judiciary, where dozens of cases are playing out against jailed opposition leader Imran Khan.

Thursday’s ruling allows his government to court individual MPs for their votes and pressure lawmakers loyal to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for their support.

“This has cleared the way for them for the constitutional amendment,” political analyst Zahid Hussain told AFP. “This is also being used by the ruling party to weaken PTI.”

A 2022 Supreme Court decision said MPs crossing the aisle would have their ballots discounted on major votes including constitutional amendments, no-confidence votes and the election of prime ministers.

However, Thursday’s ruling “unanimously” backtracked that ruling, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa said in court, adding that a detailed verdict would be released later.

Opposition parties say the amendments proposed by Sharif’s government would create a new court to rule on the constitution, with a head judge picked by the prime minister.

The Supreme Court and other Pakistani tribunals would be beholden to the new court’s rulings.

“Not only would this constitutional amendment weaken the judiciary but also democracy and the constitution itself,” said PTI lawyer Ali Zafar.

Khan was barred from contesting February’s election and sidelined in jail on charges he says are politically motivated.

Candidates loyal to the former international cricket star became the biggest bloc in parliament after that election but fell short of the majority needed to rule.

Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party sealed a deal to rule with other parties also considered close to the powerful military establishment.

However, PTI has been a vocal opposition force, holding regular street protests and needling the government in parliament.

Khan has seen his cases, many alleging corruption, ping-pong through different courts, one of which has openly alleged intimidation by state intelligence agencies.

The 71-year-old has been jailed for more than a year and PTI has called for fresh protests in the capital Islamabad on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)