ISLAMABAD: The joint standing committees of the National Assembly and Senate on law and justice on Saturday cleared nearly 80 per cent of the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, including the majority of clauses related to the judicial reforms package. Deliberations on the field marshal’s status under Article 243 were deferred to Sunday.
The session, chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek, continued despite a boycott by two Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) members, who alleged that provisions previously discarded in the 26th Amendment were being reintroduced. The committees focused on amendments pertaining to the superior judiciary, the federal constitutional court, and the transfer mechanism of high court judges.
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It was decided that the initial strength of the proposed federal court would be set via a presidential order, while any future increase in judges would require parliamentary approval. The committees also discussed a mechanism for transferring high court judges through the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, which may not necessitate the consent of the judges being moved.
Senator Naek said the session addressed reservations, developed consensus on most points, and clarified ambiguities in the bill. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar called the package a “long-awaited and comprehensive reform,” noting that discussions on judicial reforms had been ongoing for over a decade, resurfacing during the 26th Amendment process but never finalised.
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The remaining clause on Article 243, determining the constitutional status of a field marshal, will be reviewed in detail in the next session, continuing the step-by-step clause-by-clause scrutiny of the 27th Amendment Bill.