Pakistan Parliament passes constitutional amendment bill capping chief justice’s term

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Sunni-Ittehad Council (SIC) opposed the amendment, but six autarkic members who held their seats with the enactment of the PTI supported the bill.

The authorities needed 224 votes to walk the amendment.

The Senate connected Sunday nighttime voted 65-4 to o.k. the amendment with the required two-thirds majority. The ruling conjugation needed the enactment of 64 members successful the precocious location of the parliament.

Following its transition successful some Houses of Parliament, the Constitution (26th Amendment) Act, 2024 volition present beryllium sent to the president for assent nether Article 75 of Pakistan’s Constitution and go instrumentality aft his signatures.

The bill, comprising a acceptable of law amendments, including a peculiar committee to name a main justness retired of 3 senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, was approved by the furniture connected Sunday with a statement among the ruling conjugation partners.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar who presented the measure successful the Senate said the ‘new-face’ committee would dwell of the Chief Justice, 4 senior-most Supreme Court judges, 2 senators and 2 nationalist assembly members – 1 of each from the opposition.

He said the changes would assistance expedite the dispensation of justness by the apex court.

The amendment blocked the automatic emergence of the senior-most Supreme Court justice to the station of main justness aft the incumbent CJP retired.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq presided implicit the proceedings successful the National Assembly.

According to a connection from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has signed the proposal for President Asif Ali Zardari to ratify the 26th law amendment.

Following the bill’s passage, Shehbaz said successful the parliament: “Today’s amendment, the 26th, is not conscionable an amendment, but an illustration of nationalist solidarity and consensus. A caller prima volition rise, emanating crossed the nation.” The absorption alleged the full workout was aimed astatine blocking Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s assignment from becoming the main justness connected the status of existent CJP Qazi Faez Isa connected October 25.

PTI person Hammad Azhar termed the amendment “a decease stroke to the independency of the judiciary”, and explained however giving the powerfulness to name judges to the apex tribunal and precocious courts to the authorities would politicise the judiciary.

Another PTI person Salman Akram Raja called the infinitesimal the “bleakest successful our parliament’s history”, terming it a handover of the power of the judiciary to the executive.

PTI person Ali Zafar, the archetypal to talk successful the Senate connected the bill, said his party’s lawmakers were being forced to ballot successful favour.

He said his enactment senators were absent arsenic they feared abduction.

“It is against the instrumentality and morality that coercion is being applied to get the amendment approved,” Zafar said, urging the Senate president not to number the ballot of immoderate PTI senator.

The National Assembly successful its league contiguous passed, "The Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Bill, 2024".

225 Members voted successful favour of the Bill portion 12 Members voted against it.

The question to walk the Bill was introduced by Minister for Law and Justice and Parliamentary… pic.twitter.com/1IGEf92HWE

— National Assembly 🇵🇰 (@NAofPakistan) October 21, 2024

Zafar came to the location to springiness his party’s presumption contempt his enactment saying successful a connection that its governmental committee decided to boycott the voting process successful some houses of Parliament.

Pakistan People’s Party main Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who made elaborate efforts for the passage, said the authorities would determination guardant with the amendment whether the PTI voted successful favour oregon not.

“We person waited for arsenic agelong arsenic we could, and today, nether immoderate circumstance, this enactment volition beryllium completed,” Bilawal told the media.