Senate refers 27th constitutional amendment bill to joint parliamentary committee

The Senate session, chaired by Senate President Yusuf Raza Gilani, began on Saturday with debates focusing on the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was approved earlier in the day by the federal cabinet.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced the 27th Amendment Bill in the upper house, requesting that Question Hour be suspended. The motion to suspend question time was moved by the Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and passed by the Senate.

The bill was subsequently referred to a joint parliamentary committee comprising members of the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice and its National Assembly counterpart.

Read: 27th Amendment: What we know so far

The joint committee will be co-chaired by the chairmen of both committees, Senator Farooq H. Naek and Representative Mahmood Bashir Virk, and will review the proposed legislation in detail.

During the session, Law Minister Tarar informed the house that all political parties would be invited to participate in the committee’s discussions. He stressed that the bill will be debated thoroughly before moving forward.

Opposition senators, including Senator Ali Zafar and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, expressed concern that the amendment had been introduced without broad consensus. They argued that the opposition had not been given enough time to review the draft.

Deputy Chief Minister Ishaq Dar asserted that detailed deliberations would be held in the standing committee and noted that the appointment of the leader of the opposition in the Senate was the prerogative of the Senate President.

Read more: Cabinet delays meeting on draft 27th Amendment

The session also addressed preparations for the upcoming Inter-Parliamentary Conference of Presidents to be held in Islamabad, with President Gilani briefing members on the preparations for the event.

A joint meeting of the Standing Committees on Law and Justice of the National Assembly and the Senate has been convened for 2:00 pm today to continue deliberations on the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

Cabinet approves amendment

The federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif via video link from Baku, approved the state-managed draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. PTV News reported.

The prime minister welcomed the cabinet members and thanked allied parties for their support. The meeting was attended by federal ministers Khawaja Asif, Bilal Azhar Kayani, Rana Tanveer, Aurangzeb Khichi, Rana Mubashir, Aun Chaudhry, Dr. Shezra Mansab, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh and Malik Rasheed Ahmed, while Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan was present at the Prime Minister House.

Following the Cabinet approval, Federal Law and Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar briefed the media and stated that the bill would now be introduced in the Senate and would subsequently be referred to a joint parliamentary committee. He said the government had completed consultations with coalition partners including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Also read: Government finalizes initial draft of 27th Amendment for cabinet review tomorrow

Tarar explained that under the proposed amendment, the powers of the executive regarding the transfer of judges would be reduced, transferring the authority to the Judicial Commission. He added that the amendment also addresses delays in Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to ensure simultaneous elections across the country.

He noted that proposals were also included to increase the number of advisors from five to seven and to modify article 243 to alter the procedure for key appointments. Furthermore, the title of “Field Marshal” would remain an honorary distinction for life.

The minister further stated that an amendment has been proposed to Article 140-A, reflecting the MQM’s draft law on powers of local governments, which will also be reviewed by the parliamentary committee.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the amendment represented a collective effort in national interest and to strengthen the federation’s relationship with the provinces. He thanked the contributions of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the attorney general and their teams.

The prime minister said he had consulted PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari and expressed gratitude for their guidance and approval. He also thanked allied leaders Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Abdul Aleem Khan, Khalid Hussain Magsi and Chaudhry Salik Hussain for their support of the draft.

Shehbaz added that consultations had also been held with political leaders including Aimal Wali Khan and Ejazul Haq. He said political and economic stability had put the country on the right path and urged all stakeholders to work collectively for national prosperity.