Govt tables 26th constitutional amendment bill in Senate

Islamabad: After several rounds of discussions on the proposed constitutional amendment package, the government finally introduced the 26th Amendment Bill for approval in the Senate on Sunday.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill during a session presided over by Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani.

Tarar emphasized that all political parties, including the opposition, were consulted on the amendment bill.

In his remarks, Tarar explained that a committee was formed under the speaker's instructions to thoroughly review the amendment bill. Following a detailed examination, it was placed on the supplementary agenda for formal consideration.

Tarar then elaborated that the procedure for appointing judges was first introduced in the 18th Constitutional Amendment to bring transparency to the judicial appointment process. A parliamentary committee was established to oversee this process.

He added that the committee was empowered to block any nominations. However, after a petition was filed in the Supreme Court, the 19th Amendment was hastily passed, altering the composition of the commission and making its members more susceptible to external influences.

Tarar suggested that the Judicial Commission should be led by Supreme Court judges and include four members from Parliament. He further proposed that the Chief Justice and other constitutional court judges should also be part of the commission.

The Federal Law Minister clarified that the Judicial Commission, including the Chief Justice, four senior Supreme Court judges, and members of Parliament, would have the authority to establish constitutional benches.

Earlier, the cabinet gave its approval to the draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which had been agreed upon by the PPP and JUI-F.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in parliament, approved the draft.

The amended draft approved by the cabinet includes a new clause "A" added to Article 9 of the constitution.

The PTI, after consultations between its leadership and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, announced it would not participate in the vote on the amendment.

“We will abstain from voting but will express our position while in parliament,” said Barrister Gohar. He also praised Maulana Fazlur Rehman for supporting their stance against the constitutional amendment.

"Imran Khan will always have the final word on party decisions, and we follow his directives accordingly," the PTI chairman stated.