.
ISLAMABAD:
As political consultations over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment intensify, the partisan makeup of the Senate has come into focus, revealing the delicate arithmetic that will determine the fate of the bill.
According to official data, any constitutional amendment requires at least 64 votes from the 96-member upper house to be approved.
The ruling coalition currently has a numerical advantage, led by the PPP with 26 seats, the largest bloc in the Senate. It is followed by the PML-N with 20 seats, which constitutes the core of the government’s legislative strength.
Among the coalition partners, the BAP has four seats, while the MQM-P has three members. The NP and the PML-Q each occupy one seat.
Several independent senators also sit on government seats, including Abdul Karim, Abdul Qadir, Mohsin Naqvi, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Asad Qasim and Faisal Vawda, whose votes could prove decisive in close divisions.
In the opposition seats, the PTI has the largest contingent with 14 senators, followed by the ANP with three. An independent senator, Naseema Ehsan, also aligns herself with the opposition, along with six PTI-backed independents.
A newly elected PTI senator is expected to take oath soon, while Murad Saeed, another PTI-backed independent, is yet to take oath.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam maintains a significant presence in the opposition seats with seven senators, while the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen and the Sunni Ittehad Council each have one seat.
