ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The federal government has prepared an initial draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, and it will be approved by the federal cabinet tomorrow before tabling it in the Senate.
According to the sources, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has summoned a cabinet meeting at 9 am, where the cabinet will be briefed on the draft.
After the approval from the federal cabinet on Friday, the Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar will present the constitutional amendment in the Senate the same day.
Later, the amendment will be sent to the Senate Standing Committee on Law for further consideration, sources said.
The Standing Committee, headed by Farooq H. Naik, will hold meetings on Saturday and Sunday and will present the report in the House on Monday, sources added.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has held multiple meetings with coalition partners to reach a consensus on the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Delegations from the MQM-Pakistan, PML-Q, and the Ishtehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) met with Minister Sharif separately, where they discussed the proposed amendments.
27th Constitutional Amendment draft
As per the draft, the amendments propose to give constitutional powers to the Field Marshal through an amendment to Article 243. Under the new proposal, the title of Field Marshal will remain for life.
Changes to Article 243 would further ensure that the command of the armed forces rests solely with the federal government.
According to the draft, a nine-member Constitutional Court has been proposed in place of the Constitutional Bench in the Supreme Court. It is proposed to increase the upper age limit of the judges of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court from 68 to 70 years.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment draft further proposes that in case of deadlock in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, the matter will be referred to the Supreme Judicial Commission.
It further proposes that the role of the President and Prime Minister will be reduced in the appointment of judges of the higher judiciary, and the role of the Judicial Commission will be increased.
Amendments to Article 200 have also been sought to modify the transfer process of High Court judges.
Sources said that the PPP is not ready to give more constitutional empowerment to local bodies. Further consultation will be held on the proposal regarding giving more powers to local bodies.
According to sources, under the proposed amendment, it is proposed to give the federation an additional ten percent share of the provinces’ share in the NFC award, while the draft also includes the proposal of giving the education and health sectors to the federation.
