ISLAMABAD (Urdu Times) Echo of the 27th Amendment, the government has a two-thirds majority?

ISLAMABAD (Urdu Times) The echo of the 27th AmendmentThe ruling coalition has a clear two-thirds majority to approve the National Assembly amendment, the approval of the 27th Constitutional Amendment is impossible without the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the government does not necessarily need the support of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) for the amendment. The government has the support of 237 members in the National Assembly, while the government needs 224 votes to approve the constitutional amendment, 125 members of the Muslim League (N), 74 members of the PPP, 22 members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), 5 of the Pakistan Muslim League, 4 members of the Iqbal Pakistan Party (IPP) are part of the coalition in the National Assembly. The Muslim League Zia, the National Party, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) are also with the government, 4 Azar members are also part of the government coalition in the National Assembly.

On the other hand, there are currently 89 opposition members in the National Assembly, 76 independent opposition members in the National Assembly, 10 members of JUI-F, one each from Balochistan National Party (BNP), Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP). For a two-thirds majority in the Senate, the government will have to rely on the support of Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), and independent members. The number of members of the ruling coalition in the Senate is 61, and the number of opposition members is 35. 64 members are needed for a two-thirds majority in the Senate. The ruling coalition has 26 members from PPP, 20 from (N) League, 4 from BAP, 3 from MQM, one each from (Q) League and National Party. The number of independent members supported by the government in the Senate is 6. The government will need the support of three members of the JUI or ANP to pass the 27th Amendment in the Senate. It should be noted that speculation and debate regarding the 27th Amendment intensified yesterday after the PPP claimed that the government had sought its support for the proposed constitutional amendments.
The proposed constitutional amendments have sparked debate across the country, as different political parties are taking their respective positions, amid fears that the move could take away some of the powers granted to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has announced that it will “firmly” oppose the proposed amendment.
It should be noted that the ruling coalition has a clear two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to approve the amendment. The approval of the 27th Constitutional Amendment is impossible without the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The government does not necessarily need the support of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) for the amendment. The government has the support of 237 members in the National Assembly, while the government needs 224 votes to approve the constitutional amendment. In the National Assembly, 125 members of the Muslim League (N), 74 members of the PPP, 22 members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), 5 members of the Pakistan Muslim League, and 4 members of the Stability Pakistan Party (IPP) are part of the coalition. The Muslim League Zia, the National Party, and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) are also with the government, and 4 independent members are also part of the governing coalition in the National Assembly. On the other hand, currently there are 89 opposition members in the National Assembly, the number of independent opposition members in the National Assembly is 76, 10 members of JUI (F), Balochistan National Party (BNP), Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) have one member each. For a two-thirds majority in the Senate, the government will have to rely on the support of Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), and independent members. The number of ruling coalition members in the Senate is 61, and the number of opposition members is 35.A two-thirds majority in the Senate requires 64 members. The ruling coalition has 26 from the PPP, 20 from the PML-N, 4 from the BAP, 3 from the MQM, 1 each from the (Q) League and the National Party. The number of independent members supported by the government in the Senate is 6. The government will definitely need the support of 3 members from the JUI-F or ANP to pass the 27th Amendment in the Senate. In this era of division or polarization, it is not just the people but also politicians who are opening a front against each other. Their attacks on each other in television studios have become a reality, to the extent that when they unite for a greater cause, it is rarely felt and even less appreciated. Consider the moment a few years ago when they all joined hands to provide legal protection to General Bajwa’s extension. It was for a greater cause, few people noticed at the time because they were busy criticizing parliamentarians. A similar situation was witnessed in Punjab recently when politicians gathered under the roof of the provincial assembly to pass a resolution demanding a local government system or local governments. The draft, jointly presented by the young members of the provincial assembly of the Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was so impressive that even the provincial members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) voted in its favor. The two parties may be at war in the federation or in any other province, but in Punjab, everyone seemed to be in agreement on the issue of local governments. They have demanded local bodies that have constitutional protection and whose term of office and responsibilities are clearly defined. It has also been said that fresh elections should be held within 90 days of the completion of the term of local bodies or their dissolution and that the provincial finance commission should be linked to the National Finance Commission (NFC). Not only did the legislators come together for this demand, but Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan, who has been known for his passionate defense of not only his party but also General Qamar Javed Bajwa in the past, took out time to express his support for the resolution in a press conference. According to a news report, he warned that if there is no effective local government, the relationship between the state and the people weakens. He held successive governments responsible for damaging the local government system and advised political parties to refrain from shortening the tenure of local bodies for mere political purposes. All of them have been accusing politicians of being against local bodies and not interested in the needs of the people. But the negative mindset against the political class has been going on for decades. Public distrust has grown to such an extent that it is difficult to understand why the same politicians who appear to be concerned about local bodies were also involved in supporting a law recently passed by the Punjab Assembly that apparently goes against the very principles they are so anxious about. This new law was passed last month and is being criticized for retaining real power in the hands of the provincial government and bureaucracy. The aspect that has attracted the most attention is that under the new law, local body elections will be held on a non-partisan basis, but this will be limited to voting and counting. Candidates who succeed as independents will have the option to join a political party within 30 days, but not after that period. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the 27th Constitutional Amendment will be presented in Parliament soon, has held discussions with the PPP on the amendment, and will now hold talks with other allies. Expressing his views in the Senate meeting, Senator Ishaq Dar said that the 27th Constitutional Amendment is being brought by the government and will be presented in accordance with the constitution and law. The 27th Constitutional Amendment will go to the relevant standing committees as per the rules and I assure Ali Zafar that there will be a formal discussion on the 27th Constitutional Amendment. I will request the government to bring the amendment to the Senate first this time. We have discussed the amendment with the PPP, now we will discuss it with other allies, the entire process will be done transparently. The 27th Constitutional Amendment should be sent to the committee so that it can be discussed, the Senate Law and Justice Committee should also call the members of the National Assembly Law and Justice Committee, the members of both the committees will sit and discuss the 27th Constitutional Amendment at the same place.I have seen Bilawal Bhutto’s tweet, the things he mentioned have been discussed. Senator Ishaq Dar said that the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition should definitely be done, the responsibility of the Leader of the Opposition lies with the Chairman of the Senate, the government is not putting any obstacles in it, the Chairman of the Senate should look into this matter and appoint him soon as per the rules. We have to learn from the mistakes of the past and move forward, he said after returning from Afghanistan that suicide bombings in Pakistan had reached their peak due to preventing them from being used against our own soil, ten years ago there was a lot of terrorism, even then the civil-military leadership sat together and then Zarb-e-Azb was launched. Counter-corruption was started to expel those who came into the country, terrorism had reduced a lot due to all the operations, but we should see what went wrong so that we do not make the same mistake again. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has always contributed to national issues, if reforms are brought in Madrasas, there is no problem in it, there is no ban on madrassas. He said that I fundamentally believe in reconciliation and dialogue, and those who have lost faith in politicians point out that this situation is reminiscent of the elections of General Zia-ul-Haq. He too had held elections on a non-partisan basis, fearing the possible success of the PPP, but in the hope that this would create a parliament that he could easily control. But this analysis seems a bit unrealistic. After all, why would anyone, even someone who does not trust politicians, think that legislators will pass laws only to do what a military ruler wants? And who would believe that today’s elected politicians will act in the same way as politicians did 40 years ago? The world has changed since then, and so has Pakistan. In fact, if we compare the situation 40 years ago, the 1985 assembly and the then Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo proved to be so obstructive that Zia-ul-Haq had to dissolve his government. But in the present era, there are no such problems because today the politicians and the establishment are in a state of harmony where both are seen chanting the slogan ‘we are together’. There is no particular reason to question this cordial relationship which seems quite natural. In fact, it is just a coincidence that the politicians in the Punjab Assembly have discovered the need and importance of the local government system and that too at a time when the debate on ways to ‘fix’ the government and the economy, which has been going on in Islamabad and a nearby city for several months, is echoing. The question was whether the reconstitution of the NFC alone would be enough to solve the economic problems or would there be a need to solve some governance problem by dividing 4 more provinces? It may be recalled that on October 20 and 21, 2024, the Senate and the National Assembly approved the 26th Constitutional Amendment consisting of 22 articles. In the National Assembly session, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar moved a motion to introduce the amendment. 225 members of the assembly voted for the approval of the motion, while 12 members voted against it.

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari says that a delegation of the Muslim League (N) led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif came to meet President Zardari and me. The league delegation has sought the support of the Pakistan People’s Party in approving the 27th Constitutional Amendment. In a post on the social networking website ‘X’, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment includes the establishment of a constitutional court, the restoration of executive magistrates and the power to transfer judges. The proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment also includes points for ending the protection of the provincial portion in the NFC and amending Article 243. The proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment includes the return of education and population planning powers to the federation and ending the ongoing impasse on the appointment of the Election Commission. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that a meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party has been called on November 6 upon the return of the President of Pakistan from Doha to decide on the party’s policy. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the PPP said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called a meeting of the Central Executive Committee on Thursday, November 6. According to the statement, the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan People’s Party will consider the overall political situation of the country in the meeting held at Bilawal House Karachi.Prime Minister’s Advisor on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah says that the 27th Amendment is being presented as something scary like a storm. If the amendment is coming, there is no threat to democracy. Rana Sanaullah said that the intention is to convince all stakeholders, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, which of the things Bilawal Bhutto mentioned is not under discussion? Discussions have been going on on these things for two to four months, we will talk to allies and others. The Prime Minister’s Advisor said that consultations have just started on the 27th Amendment, there will be consultations with stakeholders, our position in the Charter of Democracy from day one is that a constitutional court should be formed. Rana Sana said that problems arise when a servant remains in office for a long time, I have great respect for the esteemed judges, whatever authority will be with the Chief Justice and the Judicial Commission. He said that the Charter of Democracy included other parties including PTI, at that time the political parties had decided that there should be a constitutional court. Regarding population, he said that if the population continues to grow like this, it is estimated that the country’s population will be 500 million in 2050, if the population reaches 500 million, then we cannot predict what will happen. A uniform curriculum is necessary in all provinces, we have not yet heard of abolishing NFC, after paying loan installments and defense expenses, the federation does not have money to pay salaries, the federation has to take loans to run the affairs. The (N) League leader further said that he intends to convince everyone including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he is a thoughtful, experienced politician and understands the depth of matters, his consultation and support will be important, the government will make every effort to bring them together. It may be recalled that for the past few months, rumors about the 27th Constitutional Amendment were circulating in political circles and on social media. There were also rumors about the abolition of the NFC award (financial share) given by the federation to the provinces in the new amendment. It may be recalled that earlier the 26th Constitutional Amendment was also passed in the Senate, with 65 members voting in favor and 4 members voting against it. There is no reason to question the cordial relations between the establishment and the government. The gazette notification of the 26th Constitutional Amendment was issued after the President signed it on October 21, 2024. Earlier, the country’s upper house had passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill with a two-thirds majority in a meeting chaired by Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani yesterday. In the Senate session chaired by Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar moved a motion to vote on the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which was approved by a majority vote. After this, the Senate Chairman ordered all the doors of the house to be closed and directed the guests’ gallery to be vacated. Under Article 75 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the summary of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Act 2024 approved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan was sent to the President of Pakistan for signature. After the Senate, the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill was also approved by the National Assembly early on Monday morning with a two-thirds majority, the notification of which was issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 26th Constitutional Amendment and after the gazette notification, the 26th Constitutional Amendment came into force as a law. According to the constitutional amendment, the new Chief Justice was appointed through a parliamentary committee. It may be recalled that the National Assembly session began at 11:30 pm under the chairmanship of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq after a delay of several hours, which was adjourned at approximately 11:58 pm, after which the session resumed at 12:05 pm and continued till 5:15 am on Monday. In the National Assembly session, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar moved a motion to introduce an amendment. 225 members of the assembly voted for the motion while 12 members voted against it. After this, the amendment was approved clause by clause. Allegedly, 4 independent members supported by PTI voted in favor of the constitutional amendments. Usman Ali, Mubarakzeb Khan, Zahoor Qureshi, Aurangzeb Khichi and Chaudhry Ilyas of PML-Q voted in favor of the amendments. Speaking in the House after the approval of the bill, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that people in the country are yearning for justice, today is a historic day. He said that today the 26th amendment to the Constitution has been made, governments were sent home, prime ministers were sent home, a wonderful example of national unity and consensus has been established once again. It should be noted that the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill was passed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate session chaired by Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani shortly before the start of the National Assembly session. 65 members of the Senate voted in favor of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, while 4 members of the Senate voted against it. Speaking in the House after the approval of the bill, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that people in the country are yearning for justice, today is a historic day, a wonderful example of national unity and consensus has been established once again. Today the 26th amendment to the Constitution has been made, governments used to be sent home, prime ministers used to be sent home, a wonderful example of national unity and consensus has been established once again. He said that today the 26th amendment to the Constitution was made, there was a Panama that ended, punishment was given on the basis of residency, today the unfulfilled dream of the Charter of Democracy has come to fruition,The Constitutional Court was also supported in the Asma Jahangir Conference in 2022. Razar Bani said in the same conference that if there is no Constitutional Court, then a Constitutional Bench should be given. We are going to fulfill the thinking that has been going on since the time of Quaid-e-Azam today. There is no such example in the whole world that a judge can appoint and remove a judge. They say who is the parliament? We are the representatives of the people. When Benazir Bhutto was the Prime Minister, they could not bear that Benazir Bhutto appointed a judge. PTI and Maulana Fazlur Rehman are also signatories to the Charter of Democracy. All the parties in this House have signed the Charter of Democracy. He said that 2.6 million cases are pending in the judiciary, it is ranked 144th in the world. 17, 18 people from the judiciary came from heaven, so accountability is not possible. The amendment is taking away unconstitutional power from 17 people and transferring representatives worth 24 crores. Is it possible that 8 people can sit and hold the parliament hostage? The respect of institutions is based on the personalities sitting in them. Today, the judiciary is being dry-cleaned, so that is also the reason. My speech will be based on praise, not criticism. The tenure of Supreme Court judges should be increased. He said that when it comes to the constitution, in the eyes of all of us, its status is that of a national charter. I pay tribute to Bilawal Bhutto for presenting today’s constitutional amendments. I pay tribute to the efforts of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. MQM Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar, while speaking in the house, said that after the Senate, we are now in a position to get the 26th Amendment passed by the National Assembly. We are supporting the constitutional amendment for the stability of the country. He said that the people of Pakistan have to be relieved from their problems. No matter how many amendments they make, we also have to look at our constitutional history. It took us 9 years to make the constitution after the establishment of Pakistan. We have to end inflation and unemployment.