Constitutional amendment: NA session adjourned till 11:30 am

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) session to vote on the proposed 26th constitutional amendment was adjourned until 11:30 am Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Senate suspended its meeting as well, and will resume at 12:30 pm on Sunday.

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The 26th proposed constitutional amendment has been pushed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government along with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to greatly restructure the country’s judicial system.

However, it lacked the clear majority needed to pass any bill in the Parliament, with the votes of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) possessing the number needed to form a clear majority.

As such, both, the Opposition who strongly oppose the proposed amendments, and the coalition government had been trying to woo JUI-F chief, Maulana Fazl, to their side.

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Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Shairf, convened a federal cabinet meeting in the Prime Minister’s Chamber. It was attended by key PML-N members, including Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif and Azam Nazeer Tarar.

The cabinet meeting focused on reviewing and approving the draft of the 26th constitutional amendment.

During the meeting, Nazeer Tarar provided a comprehensive briefing on the amendment’s provisions. Later while addressing the media, he noted that representatives from all political parties participated in the special parliamentary committee discussions, which les to the formalisation of the draft.

The PML-N member mentioned that suggestions from Maulana Fazl were also incorporated into the proposal.

Cabinet members requested additional time until 2:30 pm to finalise their opinions on the amendment. Tarar said that consultations with all stakeholders had been going on for several weeks.

He indicated that there was a potential for other parties to propose amendments, as well.

Meanwhile, Rana Sanaullah expressed huge confidence that the constitutional bill would be approved in both, the Senate and the National Assembly. He criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for attempting to ‘create’ confusion around the proposed amendment, claiming that Maulana Fazl would align with the coalition’s objectives.

Talal Chaudhry, another PML-N member, echoed Sanaullah’s words, stating the PTI’s ‘efforts’ to delay the proposed bill will “not succeed”. He said that the JUI-F chief was ‘committed’ to supporting the coalition in the upcoming vote.

At the same time, former PTI member, Faisal Vawda, stated that the draft would be approved regardless of the Opposition. He said that the ruling coalition had sufficient support to ensure the passage of the 26th amendment.

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The proposed amendment seeks to restructure the judiciary, with many experts raising concerns over the proposed changes. It includes the establishment of a constitutional bench and changes to the appointment process for judges.