Senate refers 27th draft constitutional amendment to joint parliamentary committee

The Senate session, presided over by Senate President Yusuf Raza Gilani, began on Saturday with discussions centered 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, demanding that the Question Hour be suspended. The motion to suspend Question Hour was moved by the federal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and was approved by the Senate.

The bill was then referred to a joint parliamentary committee composed of 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 the two committees, Senator Farooq H. Naek and MP Mahmood Bashir Virk and will examine the bill in detail.

During the session, Justice Minister Tarar informed the House that all political parties would be invited to participate in the committee’s discussions. He stressed that the bill would be subject to thorough debate before moving forward.

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

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said detailed deliberations would take place in the standing committee and noted that the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the Senate was the prerogative of the Senate Chairman.

Learn more: Cabinet postpones meeting on 27th amendment draft

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

A joint meeting of the standing committees on law and justice of the National Assembly and the Senate has been convened at 2 p.m. 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 draft of the state-run 27th constitutional amendment. PTV News reported.

The Prime Minister welcomed the cabinet members and thanked the 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’s House.

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

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

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

He noted that proposals to increase the number of councilors from five to seven and amend section 243 to change the key appointment procedure were also included. In addition, the title of “Field Marshal” would remain an honorary distinction for life.

The minister further said that an amendment to Article 140-A has been proposed, reflecting the MQM’s draft law regarding local government powers, which will also be considered by the parliamentary committee.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the amendment represented a collective effort in the national interest and aimed at strengthening the federation’s relations with the provinces. He thanked the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Attorney General and their teams for their contributions.

The prime minister said he had consulted PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, expressing gratitude for their advice 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 to the project.

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