Senate, NA session postponed sine die

ISLAMABAD: Following the adjournment of the Senate, the National Assembly session was also postponed indefinitely as government’s late-night efforts, including negotiations, contacts and manipulations, failed to yield results, delaying the tabling of the proposed constitutional amendment for an indefinite period.

On Monday, treasury and opposition benches embroiled in a heated debate during the lower house session.

When the National Assembly resumed proceedings under the chair of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Federal Law Minister Nazeer Tarar said that the draft of the constitutional amendment could only be presented in the house once the government completes internal consultation and the cabinet approves it.

However, he said, the proposed bill has not yet reached the cabinet for consideration.

After various members of the National Assembly expressed their views, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq adjourned the session for an indefinite period.

Meanwhile, a Senate session, chaired by Deputy Chairman Syedal Khan, was also held.

During the session, Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman presented a commemorative resolution marking the 7th of September 1974, the day Qadianis were unanimously declared non-Muslims. The Senate passed the resolution unanimously, and the session was then adjourned indefinitely.

However, the deadlock between the government and the opposition regarding the constitutional amendment bill persisted.

Also read: Govt’s plan to table constitution package hits snag

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that the constitutional amendment would be presented during the next session of the National Assembly.

Govt to Present Constitutional Amendment in New Assembly Session

Meanwhile, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that the proposed constitutional amendment will be tabled during the upcoming session of the National Assembly.

Senator Siddiqui, who also serves as the parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the Senate and chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the special constitutional committee held a detailed three-hour meeting.

He clarified that while JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman had raised two concerns —first, the need for more time, and second, the desire to be satisfied with the numbers — there was no significant disagreement regarding the substance of the amendments.

Siddiqui also noted that the numbers required for passing the amendment were there, but both the Senate and National Assembly sessions have been adjourned indefinitely. He said that the amendment would be introduced in the new session of the National Assembly.

Speaking to Geo News at Parliament House, Senator Irfan Siddiqui confirmed that it may take a week to 10 days for the constitutional amendment to be presented.

Siddiqui reiterated that the delay was not due to a lack of support but rather to a need for further negotiation on specific points within the draft amendment, which is the right of every party involved. He explained that the draft is never immediately presented to the House but is discussed first.

He also mentioned that Maulana Fazlur Rahman had requested more time to review the proposed amendments.

“While Maulana was satisfied with many aspects, he needed time to study certain details before giving full approval,” he said.

It is worth noting that the draft constitutional amendment was initially expected to be presented in yesterday’s parliamentary session.

However, the government failed to secure the required majority for their approval by late night, leading the NA speaker and the Senate chairman to adjourn both House sessions and reschedule the meeting for today.

Constitutional Amendments

According to the document, the proposed amendment bill seeks changes to Article 63-A, specifically regarding the counting of votes cast by a parliamentarian against the instructions of the parliamentary party.

The bill also proposes the creation of a “Federal Constitutional Court” through amendment to Article 17, and changes to the procedure for appointing judges under Article 175A.

As per the draft, a National Assembly committee will propose the name to the prime minister for the chief justice of the Federal Constitutional Court.

Under the proposed bill, the chief justice will be selected from among the three most senior judges by a committee comprising eight members from the National Assembly. The committee will make its recommendation to the prime minister seven days prior to the retirement of the chief justice.

Additionally, the draft proposes setting the retirement age of a judge of the Federal Constitutional Court at 68 years. A Supreme Court judge will be appointed as a judge in the Federal Constitutional Court for a three-year term.

The bill further includes a proposal to withdraw the suo motu powers from high courts and to enable the transfer of judges from one high court to another.