President, PM Hold Separate Meetings
- Strategy Discussed to Secure Two-Thirds Majority for Constitutional Amendment
- Fazlur Rehman ‘Skips’ President’s Invite
- PM Shehbaz Urges Lawmakers to Ensure Attendance as Bill’s Passage Nears
ISLAMABAD: On Monday, ruling coalition partners convened at the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s Office to deliberate on a proposed constitutional amendment aiming to fix the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years, while also strategizing to counter opposition resistance.
President Asif Ali Zardari chaired a meeting at the Presidency, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a separate session at the PM’s Office, seeking to secure the support of allies and re-engage a former partner, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), in order to achieve a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament for the amendment.
The proposed legislation requires 224 votes in the National Assembly for approval, but the ruling coalition is 12 votes short. If JUI-F, led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, agrees to back the bill, the government would still need four or five additional votes. In the Senate, however, the coalition would have the required two-thirds majority with JUI-F’s support. Meanwhile, the PTI has accused the government of pressuring its members to vote in favor of the bill.
A source from the National Assembly Secretariat indicated that the bill for the constitutional amendment is expected to be presented in the lower house this week, seeking to extend the CJP’s tenure.
Additionally, a separate bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 21, introduced last week in the Senate by independent Senator Abdul Qadir, is currently under review by a relevant committee.
To pass a constitutional amendment in the Senate, 64 votes are needed. The ruling coalition, which consists of PML-N (19 members), PPP (24 members), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) (4 members), MQM (3 members), and 5 independents, currently holds 55 seats.
Simultaneous Meetings at the Presidency and PMO
Both the Presidency and PMO meetings occurred concurrently with a late-night crackdown by Islamabad police and local authorities, resulting in the arrest of several senior PTI leaders. During both meetings, ruling alliance members were urged to ensure their attendance in the National Assembly and Senate for the upcoming vote.
A source revealed that President Zardari had invited JUI-F to the meeting, but no representative from the party attended. According to a statement from the Presidency, Zardari emphasized the importance of strengthening parliamentary democracy and fostering political stability to promote the country’s development.
Attendees at the Presidency included leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP).
At the PM Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged legislators to ensure their presence in both houses of parliament for the critical legislation. The meeting was attended by members of the ruling PML-N, PPP, MQM, and other allied parties.
According to the PMO, Shehbaz noted that the inflation rate had slowed to 9.6% in August, attributing this to the government’s effective economic policies. He added that economic experts are predicting a further decline in inflation in the coming month, calling it good news for the nation. He reminded attendees that the inflation rate was also in single digits when the PML-N left office in 2018.
The prime minister credited his government’s efforts, beginning in April 2022, with preventing a national default, stabilizing the economy, and putting it on a path toward growth. On power tariffs, he said measures are being taken to provide relief to low-income households.
Shehbaz also highlighted the need for political stability and consistent policies, while condemning the “irresponsible language” used by opposition leaders at a recent rally.
