ISLAMABAD: Irfan Siddiqui, the Parliamentary Leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Senate, announced on Thursday that a contentious constitutional package bill would be tabled in the upper house of Parliament on Friday, following a consensus among three parties on a comprehensive draft.
Speaking to journalists after a special committee meeting on constitutional reforms, Siddiqui indicated that a final draft would be completed by Friday evening and presented in that day’s Senate session.
He noted that Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar provided a briefing on the draft, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza expressed optimism about the proposed amendments.
Siddiqui stated that 90% of the work on the amendments had been finalized, and he anticipated that the package would be presented in the Senate on Friday. He highlighted significant progress on the proposed constitutional amendments, mentioning that only a few final touches were needed.
Referring to the coalition government’s claims of achieving the ‘magic number’ in Parliament necessary for passing the constitutional amendment, he signaled a consensus among the ruling PML-N, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and JUI-F. He noted that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the religio-political party, had expressed a “general agreement” on all matters.
Siddiqui explained that the negotiations involved some “give and take,” with the coalition government accepting recommendations from the religio-political party. He emphasized that points of contention from major parties had been carefully revised in the meeting.
He also described the draft reviewed in the meeting as “very comprehensive,” including judiciary-related constitutional reforms, and clarified that the proposed amendments would not impact public opinion or curtail judicial powers.
Following reports that the ruling coalition had reached a consensus on the formation of a constitutional bench, it was revealed that four leaders from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and the PPP had agreed on this matter after extensive discussions.
However, the PTI announced a countrywide protest against the proposed 26th constitutional package, coinciding with the consensus reached by the PPP and JUI-F on the joint draft.
The constitutional package aims to establish a federal constitutional court and set a three-year term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
Previous attempts to present the bill were met with strong opposition from both allies and opposition members, prompting the government to initiate a consultation process.
To pass the constitutional amendments, the government requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament, with sources suggesting a shortfall of 13 votes in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate.
