Islamabad (Web News)
The government was unable to present the 26th Constitutional Amendment in both the Senate and National Assembly sessions for approval on Friday. Details suggest that a Senate session, chaired by Yousuf Raza Gilani, was held, during which the government was expected to present the amendment for approval. Senator Saleem Mandviwala introduced a motion to postpone the question hour, which was accepted. A prayer was held for the martyrs of the Karsaz tragedy. At one point, Chairman Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani proposed to adjourn the session for an hour, a suggestion that Senator Irfan Siddiqui supported. Gilani explained that a meeting and a cabinet session were underway, and it would be appropriate to adjourn the session for an hour. Although the request was made, the session continued.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui, speaking in the session, said there is nothing in the proposed constitutional amendment that violates fundamental rights, and they want the amendment to pass with consensus. He also mentioned that they have no objections to bringing a resolution against the assassination of the Hamas leader. PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry, commenting on the Supreme Court’s second clarification, said that the clarification has made the court’s decision even more controversial, and that such decisions are empowering a specific party, making the judges themselves controversial.
The Senate session, which began on Friday and lasted until 8:30 PM, was adjourned until 11 AM on October 19, due to delays in the federal cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq adjourned the assembly session until 3 PM. The federal cabinet meeting called by the Prime Minister ended without any proceedings, and it has now been rescheduled for 9 AM on October 19 (Saturday).
Earlier, the government had announced that it would present and pass the proposed constitutional amendment bill in the Senate before the National Assembly. However, after the special committee approved the draft of the proposed amendment on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a federal cabinet meeting to approve the draft, which had not started until late at night. Since the proposed amendment bill must first be approved by the federal cabinet before being presented in the National Assembly and Senate, both the Senate Chairman and the National Assembly Speaker adjourned their respective sessions until October 19. Subsequently, the sessions were adjourned until Saturday morning.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Residence Becomes Hub of Political Activity
Consultation on the draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment has taken an interesting turn, making Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence a focal point of political activities. The heads of five political parties met with the leader of JUI-F at his residence. According to media reports, the attendees included PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, Chairman Sunni Ittehad Council Sahibzada Hamid Raza, MWM leader Allama Nasir Abbas, and BNP-Mengal’s acting president Sajid Tarhan. Discussions were held at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence regarding the constitutional amendment. Naveed Qamar and Murtaza Wahab were also present at the meeting.
On this occasion, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri, during a conversation with a private TV channel, stated that all political parties have agreed on JUI-F’s draft. The PML-N and PPP have withdrawn their drafts, and PTI has also agreed to the JUI-F draft. There is consensus on the formation of a constitutional division and the appointment of its judges. If the issue of harassing members is resolved, progress on the constitutional amendment is likely. Some points remain to be discussed further.
Before this, a PTI delegation met with Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence to discuss constitutional amendments. During this meeting, Bilawal Bhutto arrived. Maulana held separate meetings with the two parties and exchanged views on the constitutional amendment. The PTI delegation included Barrister Gohar, Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and Sahibzada Hamid Raza. During this time, PTI and JUI-F discussed the amendments.
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto also arrived at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence and waited for the opposition delegation to leave before meeting with him. PPP leaders Naveed Qamar, Murtaza Wahab, and Jameel Soomro accompanied Bilawal, while Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Maulana Atta Rehman were present with Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Both leaders discussed the proposed 26th constitutional amendment.