Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that the nation could expect positive news as he arrived to attend a special committee meeting, delayed due to the postponement of parliamentary sessions.
The special committee meeting included prominent figures such as Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) President Abdul Aleem Khan, Sherry Rehman, Anoushay Rehman, Rana Tanvir, and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, among others. Meanwhile, the National Assembly session, set to discuss a “constitutional package,” had also been postponed.
The federal cabinet meeting, originally scheduled for 3:00 pm, had not yet started, with sources indicating it would begin soon. Similarly, the Senate session, which was to commence at 4:00 pm, was rescheduled for 10:00 pm.
In preparation, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) instructed its lawmakers to attend both Senate and National Assembly sessions. PML-N parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif, and PML-N parliamentary leader in the Senate, Irfan Siddiqui, issued directives to ensure party members’ presence in both houses.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s role is pivotal in the approval of the “constitutional package.” To secure his support for the constitutional amendment, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi met with the JUI-F leader. Later, a delegation from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also visited Rehman to discuss the matter, though they declined to speak with the media.
For the constitutional amendment to pass, the government requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, equating to 224 votes out of 336. Currently, the government has 211 lawmakers, including 110 from PML-N, 68 from PPP, 22 from Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and others from smaller parties like IPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and the National Party (NP). In the Senate, the government needs the support of nine additional lawmakers.
