Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the 26th Constitutional Amendment, a judiciary-related constitutional package, will prove to be a milestone for economic and political stability and development of the country.
Addressing his cabinet today, the PM thanked President Asif Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Mualana Fazlur Rehman for their support in ensuring the passege of the legal reforms.
The PM said with the constitutional amendment, the people will get quick justice from the judicial system.
“The constitutional amendment is also accomplishment of the vision outlined in the Charter of Democracy,” he said.
On Monday, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the bill, hours after the National Assembly passed it.
The amendment, passed by both the Senate and the National Assembly with a two-thirds majority, is now in effect nationwide.
A total of 225 members of the NA voted in favour of the bill, while 12 members from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Sunni-Ittehad Council (SIC) opposed the package.
Out of the 225 votes in the favour, the government’s were 211, followed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) 8, and 6 from independent and PTI-backed members.
Under the constitutional amendment, the term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been set at three years. A 12-member parliamentary committee will nominate the new Chief Justice of Pakistan from a panel of the three most senior judges.
The committee, comprising eight members from the National Assembly and four from the Senate, will propose the name to the prime minister, who will then forward it to the President for final approval.
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