Federal cabinet approves 27th Constitutional Amendment

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has said that the federal cabinet has approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, he said that an agreement has also been reached on the establishment of a constitutional court.

The Law Minister said that the government will present the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate today.

After this, the bill will likely be referred to a joint parliamentary committee so that the provisions of the bill can be discussed in detail.

After passing this stage, the amendment bill will be presented to the National Assembly for approval.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the cabinet meeting via video link from Baku, Azerbaijan.

According to sources, he described the amendment as very important and directed to hold talks with other parties for its early approval.

The meeting was attended by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Mosaddiq Malik, Rana Sanaullah, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Aun Chaudhry, Shazra Mansab and Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh. The meeting was also attended by Law Minister and Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan.

Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar gave a detailed briefing to the cabinet on the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

The Senate is likely to approve the amendment on Monday. According to sources, opposition parties may protest the presentation of the constitutional amendment.

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar Briefing

The Law Minister said that it has been proposed to reduce the powers of the executive on the issue of transfer of judges and entrust this authority to the Judicial Commission.

He said that the KP Senate elections were delayed, and amendment proposals have also been included to resolve this legal issue, so that the elections can be ensured at the same time.

He said that, along with this, an amendment regarding the increase in the constituencies of the Balochistan Assembly is also under consideration.

Azam Nazir Tarar further said that the ambiguities have been removed in the proposed amendment. In addition, it has been proposed to increase the number of advisors to 7, while an amendment has also been presented in Article 243, under which a change has been made in the appointment procedure.

He said that before the 1973 constitution, the post of Field Marshal existed, which was then abolished; however, the honor of Field Marshal will remain for life.

The Law Minister said that a proposal for amendment is also included in Article 140A of the Constitution. The MQM’s bill related to this article will also be brought before the committee.

The government will urge the coalition parties to cooperate in the approval of this amendment.