Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) has recommended that the size of the federal cabinet (federal, state ministers) should not exceed 11 percent of the total strength of both the houses of the Parliament, reliable sources told Business Recorder.
According to sources, the Committee had earlier proposed the strength of only federal ministers. But now, the committee during the second reading of the draft recommendation, which proposed 80 amendments to the Constitution, has finalised the proposal that the size of the federal cabinet should not be more than 11 percent of the total strength of the Parliament.
The total strength of both the houses of the parliament is 442, including 342 members of the National Assembly and 100 members of the Senate. Hence, the 11 percent of parliament's strength will be about 49 (48.62).
The sources said during Sunday's meeting, the committee conducted second reading of the draft, besides discussing its preamble. They said the PML-Q had strongly opposed the abolition of Concurrent List, but PPP and PML-N favoured the proposal as both the parties are signatories of Charter of Democracy (CoD), which envisages scrapping of Concurrent List, besides greater autonomy to the provinces.
Regarding the issue of renaming NWFP, the sources said that the draft carry a blank space for the new name of NWFP. They said the draft would only be tabled in the parliament after resolving the issue.
On the other hand, sources in PML-N said party chief Nawaz Sharif called a meeting of senior party leaders including those from NWFP on March 25 at Punjab House to review the issue of renaming NWFP. During Sunday's meeting, the committee could not complete the second reading of the draft and prepare its preamble due to absence of many members. The proceeding of the meeting started one and half hour late due to lack of quorum. The MQM members in the committee did not turn up to the meeting, while most of the members of PPP, PML-N and ANP were also absent.
The sources said that the next meeting of the PCCR would be held at 1:00pm on Monday and it would likely to complete second reading of the draft and submit it on the same day to the both houses of the Parliament.
The meeting would also discuss Articles-1(2), 62, 63,155 and 251 during the second reading. They said that if the draft was presented in the both houses of the parliament on March 24, the parliamentarians would debate it for three days. After that both houses would be prorogued for convening joint session of the Parliament tentatively on March 29, which would be addressed by the President.