The National Assembly passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill on Wednesday amid an opposition walkout, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulating lawmakers on approving the legislation.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill – which was passed with 234 votes in favour and four against – that seeks to change the judicial structure and military command. It included eight amendments – not part of the version earlier approved by the Senate – aimed at clarifying the chief justice’s position.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), repeating its course of action during Wednesday’s session, walked out and did not partake in the voting. Some opposition tore up the copies of the bill.
However, four members from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), once a close ally of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), were the only lawmakers to register their votes against the amendments.
The government introduced four changes and removed the same number. The term “Federal Constitutional Court” has been added to Clause 2 of Article 6 of the Constitution. The word “Supreme Court” has been inserted in Article 10 of the Constitution.
Moreover, Article 176 has been amended, stipulating that the incumbent chief justice will remain Chief Justice of Pakistan until the completion of the current term. Clause 2 of Article 255 has been amended to address the appointment of the Chief Justice of Pakistan after the current term.
Clarifying the situation further, the law minister mentioned that the senior-most among the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court will be designated as Chief Justice of Pakistan.
The multi-clause amendment bill required a two-thirds majority in the 336-member House. The ruling coalition easily secured the required votes, with the PML-N holding 125 seats, the PPP 74, the MQM-P 22, the PML-Q four, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party four, and one seat each held by the PML-Z, the Balochistan Awami Party, and the National Peoples Party.
PkMAP and TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, while addressing the National Assembly, said that the current government had been formed on the basis of Form-47.
During the session, Achakzai tore up a copy of the 27th Amendment Bill in protest.
He said that efforts were being made to block the path of public rule in Pakistan, expressing sorrow over what he described as an undemocratic amendment to the Constitution. The struggle between democratic and non-democratic forces in Pakistan was ongoing, he added.
Achakzai further questioned why, if the PTI founder Imran Khan was considered good or bad, he was allowed to become the prime minister in the first place.
“The country’s top judiciary stripped one party of its election symbol, yet PTI managed to contest under different symbols and still transformed the political landscape,” he said.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also spoke on a point of order, saying that his party had made every possible effort to participate in the negotiations.
He alleged that PTI’s MNAs had been removed from the Parliament House and recalled that on November 26, several of their members were martyred. “We have stood with Pakistan and will always stand with Pakistan,” Barrister Gohar asserted.
He further claimed that their chief minister was not being allowed to meet his leader.
During the session, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq once again offered opposition parties to hold dialogue with the government.
“As speaker of the National Assembly, I am ready to facilitate negotiations between the government and the opposition. If both sides sit together, solutions will emerge,” he added.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, while replying to the NA speaker’s dialogue offer, said the party “never gave up on dialogue”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday felicitated the nation and the members of the National Assembly on the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill with a two-third majority, terming it a historic step towards strengthening democracy and national unity.
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, the prime minister thanked all political parties for demonstrating national integrity and consensus on the amendment, saying that the dream of establishing constitutional courts had been fulfilled after 19 years.
Shehbaz Sharif said the establishment of the constitutional court was the peak of democracy, adding that the Chief Justice of Pakistan would continue to lead the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Law and Justice Commission. He said the government would continue to seek guidance from the top judiciary in upholding the Constitution and the rule of law.
Referring to the recent terror attacks, the prime minister strongly condemned the attack on Cadet College Wana, likening it to the tragic Army Public School incident. He also condemned the terror attack in Islamabad targeting the Judicial Complex.
The prime minister said it was evident that elements from India and Afghanistan were involved in these terrorist incidents. “We have presented undeniable proof of Indian involvement in the Jaffar Express attack before the world, and no one challenged those facts,” he said, adding that the Khawarij terrorists would receive a befitting response from Pakistan’s security forces.
Shehbaz Sharif said that peace talks had been held in Doha and Istanbul with the Afghan interim government with the sole condition that it curbs the BLA and other terrorist groups using Afghan soil against Pakistan. “We desire peace and stability in the region and expect Afghanistan to make sincere commitments to support Pakistan’s peace efforts,” he emphasized.