Today, the National Assembly is poised to deliberate and propose a series of pivotal constitutional amendments, including increased legislative seats for Balochistan.
Sources indicate that the amendments will involve over 20 clauses impacting critical articles such as 51, 63, 175, and 187 of Pakistan’s Constitution.
The proposed amendments seek to enhance Balochistan’s representation in the provincial assembly by increasing the number of seats from 65 to 81. This adjustment aims to improve the province’s legislative influence.
Significant modifications are also slated for Article 63, which governs the disqualification of parliament members. The changes will address the consequences of voting behaviour for members who defect from their party.
Read: Government Set to Present Constitutional Amendment Bill in National Assembly
Judicial reforms are a key focus, with proposed alterations to Article 181 allowing for substantial changes in judicial appointments and tenures. Notably, the amendment will end tenure extensions for the Chief Justice of Pakistan and permit transfers of Islamabad High Court judges to other provincial High Courts.
A transformative change in the appointment of the Chief Justice involves a new panel composed of the five most senior judges of the Supreme Court, moving away from the current practice of automatically appointing the senior-most judge. The government will appoint the other four judges of the Constitutional Court, marking a significant shift in judicial appointment processes.
Moreover, the Constitutional Court will specialize in cases about constitutional issues related to Articles 184, 185, and 186.
To further streamline judicial appointments, the government plans to merge the Judicial Commission and the Parliamentary Committee into a more efficient entity for selecting Supreme Court and High Court judges.
