Today, the government will present the final draft of the proposed constitutional amendments in both houses of parliament, following intense efforts to align the treasury and opposition parties.
Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar announced in an early Sunday press conference that the federal cabinet would convene at 2:30 p.m. to review and likely approve the final draft of the contentious 26th Constitutional Amendment.
Throughout Saturday, the ruling and opposition parties conducted separate meetings to finalize details before the cabinet convened late that night to discuss the proposed changes. Flanked by Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Minister Tarar informed journalists that the cabinet had reviewed the draft approved by parliament’s special committee.
He mentioned that the federal cabinet would approve the final draft after incorporating modifications suggested by the special committee, which included members from the treasury and the opposition. If the federal cabinet approves the draft, it will be introduced in the Senate and National Assembly during today’s sessions at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
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The law minister expressed optimism about conducting the voting on the draft during today’s sessions. The coalition government believes it has secured the necessary support to pass the amendments. However, there have been delays due to efforts to build a broader consensus among all political parties.
The government needs a two-thirds majority in parliament to pass the constitutional amendments. Sources indicate it is currently short by 13 votes in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate. Last month, the government’s attempt to pass the constitutional package faltered when JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman withdrew his support, stalling the amendments.
After extensive negotiations, government and opposition members reportedly agreed on a joint draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment on Friday. The draft outlines the formation of a constitutional bench, the parliamentary role in appointing the chief justice of the Supreme Court from a list of three judges, the restructuring of the Judicial Council and the Supreme Judicial Council, and setting a three-year tenure for the chief justice.
Fazlur Rehman has stated that his party will vote in favour of the amendments after receiving a response from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regarding their support for the judicial package in parliament.
