ISLAMABAD: After successfully steering the 26th Amendment Bill, 2024, through the Senate, the coalition government passed the controversial constitutional package in the National Assembly in the early hours of Monday morning.
This judiciary-focused constitutional package introduced several key amendments, including establishing a fixed three-year term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
The NA session, which began just after midnight on Sunday and extended into Monday morning, was marked by heated debates between the opposition and government benches.
Following the conclusion of speeches, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq initiated the voting process for the constitutional amendment bill. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party members staged a walkout during the voting.
The newly passed bill will now be sent to the president for approval under Article 75 of the Constitution.
Key Points of the 26th Amendment, 2024 Bill:
- The tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan is fixed at three years.
- Constitutional benches will be established at the Supreme Court and high courts.
- The senior-most judge of each bench will act as the presiding officer.
- A parliamentary committee will nominate the new CJP from a panel of the three most senior judges.
- The committee will forward its nominee to the Prime Minister, who will then submit the name to the president for final approval.
- The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), led by the CJP and three others, will be responsible for appointing Supreme Court judges.
- The JCP will also monitor judges’ performance and report any concerns to the Supreme Judicial Council.
- Riba (interest) will be fully eradicated from the country by January 1, 2028.
Addressing the session, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated that the government had achieved the broadest possible consensus with the opposition on the bill.
“It is the opposition’s democratic right not to cast a vote,” he said, adding, “The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had the fewest, while the PPP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had the most input on the constitutional package.”
He further noted, “About 99% of the objections to the constitutional amendment come from PTI, but whether the opposition votes or not, it has contributed to the success of this bill.”
Referring to historical reforms, Bilawal said, “The 18th Amendment was a revolutionary reform, and the 26th Amendment Bill of 2024 is similarly historic.”
Bilawal also recalled Justice Dorab Patel’s stance during the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto murder case, noting that Patel chose not to take the oath as Chief Justice under a dictatorship and instead went on to establish the Human Rights Commission.
He concluded by highlighting that all political parties had signed the Charter of Democracy (CoD), which included provisions for the formation of a constitutional court.
