Constitutional Amendments
The federal government has announced changes to the timings of crucial parliamentary sessions, with the National Assembly now scheduled to meet at 4:00 PM, a shift from the original 11:30 AM slot.
Similarly, the federal cabinet meeting has been rescheduled to 3:00 PM from its previously set time. Additionally, the Senate session will commence at 6:00 PM. These adjustments have been made amidst ongoing discussions about constitutional amendments and judicial reforms.
The meeting between members of the Special Parliamentary Committee and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari concluded without shedding light on the specifics of the proposed constitutional amendments.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar addressed the media following the meeting, but provided limited information. Dar described the meeting as “nice” but did not elaborate on the details of the constitutional amendments.
When questioned about whether the necessary numbers for the amendments were sufficient, Dar indicated that the numbers would be finalized in due course but did not specify when.
He suggested that further details should be sought from the Law Minister and refrained from disclosing the number of proposed amendments.
The National Assembly’s session today will focus on a six-point agenda, notably excluding the judicial reforms bill from its discussions.
The agenda includes attention notices from Asiana Naz Tanoli and Zahra Wadud Fatemi addressing issues related to diabetes patients, and Shahida Begum’s notice regarding the quality of education in Islamabad.
Additionally, the session will feature further discussion on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s motion expressing gratitude for the President’s address to Parliament. The omission of the judicial reforms bill from today’s agenda may spark speculation about its future consideration and timing.
In response to the ongoing discussions, the government has convened a special committee of Parliament, chaired by Khursheed Shah, to review proposals related to constitutional amendments and judicial reforms.
An emergency meeting of this committee has been scheduled for 2:00 PM at Parliament House, where it is expected to deliberate on potential judicial reforms and constitutional amendments. The outcomes of these consultations are anticipated to influence the country’s legislative agenda significantly.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have directed all their lawmakers to ensure their presence and vote in favor of the constitutional amendment bill.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui issued a directive urging party members to attend both the National Assembly and Senate sessions and vote according to party instructions.
Similarly, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari emphasized the importance of member participation in parliamentary sessions and adherence to party leadership’s voting directives.
These developments reflect the government’s efforts to address crucial legislative matters amid ongoing political maneuvering and parliamentary negotiations.
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