ISLAMABAD: The Senate session is ongoing, aiming to secure approval for the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment.
A minimum of 64 votes is required for the amendment’s passage, amidst rigorous debates on topics such as presidential immunity, judicial powers, and reforms within provinces.
Yesterday, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice finalized and endorsed the draft. Senator Farooq H. Naik is scheduled to present the committee’s report, while Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar will formally introduce the amendment bill for Senate consideration.
The committee members have tentatively agreed to provide immunity to the president during and after their tenure. However, discussions are still underway to determine the exact scope of this immunity.
Key elements of the proposed amendment
The draft introduces several significant modifications to the judiciary and executive system:
Judicial Transfers: The president may transfer High Court judges based on recommendations from the Judicial Commission. However, Chief Justices of High Courts will remain exempt from transfers, and transferred judges will not surpass the Chief Justice of their new court in rank.
Constitutional Courts: Plans include the establishment of new courts and provisions for disposing of cases that remain stagnant for over a year.
Advisory Roles: The Prime Minister will be authorized to appoint seven advisers. Additionally, proposals for increasing the number of advisers to provincial Chief Ministers have been reviewed.
Provincial and coalition-related amendments
The committee deliberated on submissions made by coalition partners, including:
MQM proposal: Reforms targeting local government representatives and development funds, which faced objections from PPP.
Other coalition amendments: Three supplementary proposals were presented by allied party members.
Provincial revisions: Discussions included renaming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Pakhtunkhwa and augmenting the number of seats in the Balochistan Assembly.
It is necessary to achieve a two-thirds majority in both houses to pass a constitutional amendment—64 votes in the Senate and 224 in the National Assembly. As of now, around 30 opposition senators are anticipated to oppose the bill.
Over 35 government senators are present at the assembly, including key figures such as PTI’s Dost Muhammad Khan and Falak Naz Chitrali. Coalition leaders are actively coordinating with senators to ensure robust attendance and support for the vote.
Following the presentation of the committee’s report, efforts will commence to finalize the process of passing the amendment. Additional dialogue on unresolved coalition proposals is expected as the Senate moves closer to conducting a full vote.
