Govt all set to table constitutional package today

ISLAMABAD: The government is all set to introduce the highly anticipated Constitutional Amendment in the parliament house today that aims to fix the tenure of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) at three years, among other things.

The government has convened separate sessions of the National Assembly and Senate on Saturday, with plans to introduce the significant constitutional amendment.

Although the officially issued agenda for the NA session does not include any mention of the amendment, experience has shown that such items are usually laid before the house as part of a supplementary agenda.

Parties in the ruling coalition, including the PML-N, PPP, MQM and others, have directed their members to stay in the capital over the weekend days to ensure their presence in both houses for the passage of the legislation.

DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE THE REQUIRED NUMBERS?

It is still not certain whether the ruling coalition has the numbers required to secure the passage of the constitutional amendment, which requires the assent of at least two-thirds of lawmakers, around 224 votes out of a total of 336 members in the lower house. But as of now, it appears that the government is short of at least a dozen votes in both houses.

Sources indicate that the government is confident of securing the necessary numbers in both houses to pass the amendment. Sources claimed that the matter could be pushed to Sunday as well.

Even if the JUI-F gives a nod to the proposed law, the government will still need four to five more votes in the National Assembly.

A constitutional amendment is passed or rejected through open ballot, in which those who go against their parties’ stance cannot conceal their vote.

An official of the National Assembly Secretariat said that although the government was apparently short of the number of votes it required, past precedent indicated that the amendments could be passed through some backdoor deals.

WHAT ARE THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS?

The proposed amendment aims to increase the retirement age for all government employees to 68.

Sources further reveal that the amendment will also raise the upper age limit for judges of the superior judiciary to 68 years.

The appointment of Chief Justices will be based on seniority, with a three-year term for each Chief Justice.

Ali Amin Gandapur ‘disappeared’ by establishment: Imran Khan