Special committee meeting under way ahead voting on constitutional amendment

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the special parliamentary committee has begun under the chair of MNA Khursheed Shah ahead of the convening of the sessions of both houses of parliament for voting on the proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to establish, among other things, constitutional courts and extend the service tenure of jusdges of superior courts.

PML-N leader Ishaq Dar, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, Omar Ayub, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and the Attorney General and other prominent leaders from various political parties are participating in the meeting.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also reached at the meeting. Upon their arrival, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar personally welcomed Maulana Fazlur Rehman at the committee room gate.

“Are you voting?” a journalist asked Maulana Fazlur Rehman. To this, he replied, “You will see my vote.”

Azam Nazeer Tarar said, “I have received a copy of the draft of the constitutional amendment bill.”

The special committee meeting on rules and procedures is being attended also by National Assembly members Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Rana Tanveer, Irfan Siddiqui, Anusha Rehman, Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Ijaz-ul-Haq, Syed Naveed, JUI’s Shahida Akhtar Ali, and ANP Senator Aimal Wali Khan.

SIC chief Sahibzada Hamid Raza is also present at the special committee meeting. PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, MQM leader Farooq Sattar, Ijazul Haq, Khawaja Asif and others are in the attendence.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly session will commence in a while and the Senate session is also scheduled.

Meanwhile, the arrested leaders of PTI were brought to the Parliament House by Islamabad police.

Meanwhile, the two votes of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) Mengal have become crucial in the Senate for the constitutional amendment proposed by the government and its coalition partners.

Sources said that BNP chief Akhtar Mengal has demanded the immediate recovery of missing persons in exchange for his party’s support.

According to sources, former Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani contacted Sardar Akhtar Mengal, asking for BNP’s votes in favour of the constitutional amendment. During the discussion, Akhtar Mengal sought the draft of the proposed amendment.

Sources said that Mengal emphasized the need for immediate action on the recovery of missing persons in return for his party’s two votes in the Senate. Sadiq Sanjrani assured him that these demands would be addressed.

The government will need 224 votes in the National Assembly and 64 votes in Senate to sail through the constitutional amendment with a two-thirds majority.