Constitutional amendment: NA, Senate sessions postponed till tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly, Senate sessions, and the federal cabinet meeting were postponed until tomorrow after the government faced hurdles in securing support for the proposed constitutional amendment.

The National Assembly briefly convened under the chairmanship of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq before adjourning. A motion to suspend questions and call attention notices was passed by the House, after which the session was adjourned until 12:30pm the following day. Similarly, the Senate session was also rescheduled to 12:30pm tomorrow.

In a special parliamentary committee meeting, opposition and government parties conditionally backed the formation of a constitutional court. According to sources, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), and coalition parties gave their conditional consent.

Also read: Special committee meeting under way ahead voting on constitutional amendment

During the meeting, Maulana Fazlur Rehman voiced his objection to the extension of judges’ tenure, advocating for further consultations on the bill. PTI echoed this sentiment, stressing that such crucial constitutional amendments should not be rushed.

The fourth meeting of the day, chaired by Khurshid Shah, saw the proposed constitutional package outline the appointment of the chief justice from among the five senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.

Additionally, a constitutional court will be formed, with its chief justice and judges selected by the Judicial Commission and Parliamentary Committee.

Proposed amendments also include changes to Article 63A regarding dissenting votes and an increase in Balochistan Assembly seats from 65 to 81.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not support the government on the constitutional amendment.

He added, “It seems the numbers were incomplete, which is why the amendment could not be presented.”

Asif further expressed doubt, saying, “It is unlikely that the legislation will take place tomorrow either.”