‘Constitutional package’: Political meetings continue with parliament sessions delayed yet still on cards
In what is an unusual development for a Sunday, both the National Assembly and Senate sessions are to convene today one after the other, with the highly anticipated but closely guarded ‘constitutional package’ expected to be on the agenda.
Both the sessions were scheduled for much earlier in the day but have been delayed multiple times as both the government and the opposition members remain busy holding important meetings.
It is unusual for parliament to convene on a weekend, as it usually only happens in budget sessions or sittings convened for a specific, time-sensitive issue.
The package aims to fix the tenure of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) at three years among other things.
Key meetings
- PM Shehbaz met elder sibling and PML-N supremo Nawaz
- Govt and PTI delegation both meet JUI-F’s Fazlur Rehman separately
- FM Dar and Co meet MQM leaders
Today’s NA session was initially slated for 11:30am but then changed to 4pm on a Special Parliamentary Committee’s request made to the NA speaker.
However, the session was unable to start even at the revised time as meetings between the govt and political parties continued. It remains unknown at what time the session would now begin.
Among the pre-session dialogues was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with his elder sibling, Nawaz Sharif, and his son Hamza Shehbaz.
The PML-N leadership also met MQM-P leaders as well as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, but more importantly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who again became a sought-after personality for the government as his party could hold the key in the bill sailing through the parliament.
After the government delegation visited Fazl, the PTI sent a delegation of their own to his residence, comprising of PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan, senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser and the Sunni Ittehad Council’s Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
“The delegation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf arrived at the residence of JUI Maulana Fazlur Rehman,” the JUI-F wrote on X, attaching a video of the delegation meeting party members and talking to them.
Meanwhile, the Senate session has been delayed again, this time to 10pm. It was initially slated for 4pm but was rescheduled to 7pm, according to a notification from the Senate secretariat.
However, another notification announced that the Senate would convene “on the same day and date at 10:00pm”.
Govt confident it has the required numbers
Ahead of the parliamentary sessions, PML-N leader Khawaja Asif was confident that the government would secure the 224 votes needed to pass the amendment, adding that he was hopeful JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman would vote in its favour.
He refuted reports that the amendment was being introduced just to give an extension to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.
“There no such talks of an extension being given to Qazi Faez Isa. Whatever judicial reforms will be brought, will be communal, not individual,” Asif said while speaking to the media in Islamabad.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also denied that the proposed legislation was “person-specific”.
“No legislation will take place individually,” he said. “Whatever will happen will happen collectively, and for the greater good of the people,” Tarar said while speaking in Islamabad.
He also said that a session of the cabinet will be held soon over the matter.
Meanwhile, PPP Secretary General Nayyer Bokhari issued a letter to all the members of his party in the Senate and National Assembly to ensure their presence during the sessions and “vote as per directions of the party leadership”.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar accuses govt of ‘attacking our political system’
In an exchange with reporters, Barrister Gohar reiterated that the constitutional package was an “attack” on the judiciary and its freedom.
“We believe the government is adopting an unconstitutional process,” he said.
Flanked by Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan and Senator Shibli Faraz, Gohar said that the opposition had spoken with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, but “he did not have a bill” that he could share with them.
“Primarily, every aspect of the state needs to be independent, especially the judiciary,” Gohar said. “It cannot be compromised, nor can judges or their power. If there is any attempt to do this to the judiciary, we will strongly condemn it.”
“This is why they (the government) is attacking our political system.”
Meanwhile, PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan questioned the mystery kept by the government around the proposed legislation.
“The fascist Form-47 regime is bent upon making controversial constitutional amendments whereas the members of Parliament have no clue whatsoever of the proposed amendments yet, not even on the government benches,” he wrote on X.
“Is this the way to do constitutional amendments?”
Package delayed due to ‘strategic reasons’
The constitutional package, as it has been billed, was expected to be tabled in the Parliament on Saturday but was put on hold by the ruling coalition for ‘strategic reasons’ emanating from the hurdles in mustering up the two-thirds majority in both houses.
Though no explanation for the delay in the introduction of the set of constitutional amendments came from the government, an informed source in the ruling coalition told Dawn the delay had “something to do with the numbers game” in the Senate. He explained that the government was short of one member in the Senate, where 64 votes were required for the amendment.
The constitutional package has remained a guarded secret, without any official word on its contents, amid speculations that the government plans to give extension to the top judge.
As far as the NA is concerned where the coalition needs several lawmakers to meet the two-thirds threshold of 224, the source said everything was in order in the lower house, particularly after the oath-taking of PPP’s Makhdoom Tahir Rashid from NA-171.
“Things have been managed and the [constitutional] package will be passed by both houses on Sunday,” the source seemed assured.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday shared parts of the package with the upper house, which included an amendment to Article 63-A of the Constitution, dealing with disqualification of those who cross party line in voting for a constitutional amendment.
He explained that under the amendment, the vote of the members against whom a disqualification reference was filed by their party leadership would be counted.
Under another amendment, the incumbent chief election commissioner will continue to hold office, till his successor comes in. Senator Dar also said constitutional courts would be established to adjudicate upon constitutional petitions.
Also on Saturday, opposition parties decided in a joint meeting of parliamentary parties to send only ‘selected’ members to the NA and Senate so that the government may not be able to pressurise them or “falsely” use their names in favour of the proposed legislation.
Confidence of the parties was boosted after a “clearance” came from the Supreme Court that all those who did not submit PTI tickets to contest the Feb 8 general elections but later announced to join the party, will be considered PTI members.
While talking to Dawn, former NS speaker and PTI leader Asad Qaiser said that a few leaders/legislators from different opposition parties held a meeting in parliament house to discuss the ongoing situation and decide about the future line of action.
Interestingly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman became the most sought-after leader as the government amid the challenge to muster the support of required number of lawmakers twice approached him.
Efforts to get his party’s backing began on Friday night when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited him, followed by government representatives a day later.
Qaiser told Dawn he wanted to meet the Maulana, but government representatives reached there earlier.
As soon as government representatives left the residence of JUI-F chief, the PTI delegation managed to meet Maulana Fazl and other JUI-F leaders just before midnight.
PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan later told reporters he was optimistic about the outcome of the meeting. He said that the PTI delegation briefed JUI-F leaders over the proposed amendments.