ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Sunday approved proposed draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2024 after developing consensus from the government’s coalition parties.
The Constitutional Package is legislation proposing a set of constitutional amendments, including the procedure for appointment of the chief justice of Pakistan.
Prior to the National Assembly and Senate sessions, a cabinet meeting was held in Islamabad on Sunday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Constitutional package: govt says striving to forge broader consensus
“The federal cabinet has approved the proposed draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2024 of the government and its coalition parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP),” according the Prime Minster office.
The cabinet took the decision in the wider interest of the country while adhering to the oath of national development and public welfare.
“By the grace and grace of Allah, after the stability of the country’s economy, a milestone was crossed for the country’s constitutional stability and rule of law,” the statement quoted PM Shehbaz as saying.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said while talking to journalists that his party would cast its votes in favour of the 26th Constitutional Amend-ment.
The JUI-F leader instructed his party’s senators to back the government’s bill, urging full support for the amendment in both the National Assembly and the Senate.
“We will support the amendment draft that was presented after consultation with us,” Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated.
However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), according to a statement released by its media cell, said that the party’s political committee has decided to boycott the voting process in both houses of the Parliament, in case the government tabled the constitutional amendments on Sunday.
However, it is decided that the party would attend both sessions of the Parliament on Sunday but will not vote for the Constitutional Amend-ment. The party will abstain from voting and record their protest while sitting in the parliament.
Ministers of the federal government claimed that it had the required number of lawmakers to pass the much-touted 26th constitutional amendment.
Recounting the various political meetings occurring in the past few days, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said: “Despite the numbers and homework being complete, the attempt was made not to stop the consultation process and achieve broader consensus because when a constitutional amendment takes place, it is our obligation to not only bring all political parties onboard but have a fruitful debate on every clause to take it to a logical conclusion.”
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also maintained that the government was pursuing a broad consensus on the constitutional package in both houses of parliament despite the government’s numbers being “pretty much complete”.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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