By Iftikhar Mashwani
ISLAMABAD : The Controvertail 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill tabled in the Senate by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Saturday which was immediately referred to Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice by Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani.
The 27th Amendment bill was presented in the upper house shortly after getting approval from the federal cabinet.
The bill proposed the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court, revisions to the process of appointing high court judges, and reforms in the military leadership structure.
Following the referral, the Senate and National Assembly’s Standing Committees on Law and Justice held an in-camera joint session to deliberate on the proposed amendment, sources said.
During the joint session, a constitutional amendment proposing to extend immunity from criminal proceedings to the prime minister — similar to that currently enjoyed by the president — was tabled, sources told Geo News.
According to sources, government lawmakers Senator Anusha Rehman and Senator Tahir Khalil Sindhu jointly moved the proposed amendment during the committee meeting.
Under the amendment, Article 248 of the Constitution would be revised to include the words “prime minister” alongside “president”, granting the premier protection from criminal prosecution during their term in office.
If approved, the amendment would mean that no criminal proceedings could be initiated or continued against the prime minister while in office, according to the draft text of the proposal.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the law minister described the 27th Amendment as a long-standing agenda in the context of the Charter of Democracy. He said that the task could not be completed at the time of 18th Amendment.
He said that consultations will continue until there is “full consensus” among members. He said during today’s meeting, all members approached the matter “seriously”.
He invited lawmakers of all political parties to join the session and present their proposals.
“The draft has been shared with the opposition, and they will present their views in the House,” Tarar said, adding that dialogue with the opposition was encouraged today as well.
Meanwhile, the joint session was adjourned till 11am tomorrow, with members of both committees agreeing to continue the session.
On the other hand, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) staged a walkout from the joint committee meeting and announced a boycott of the proceedings.
While presenting the bill in the upper house, Tarar said that traditionally, constitutional amendments are examined by a joint committee of National Assembly and Senate members. “No vote will be held on the bill at this stage, as it will first be reviewed by the committee.”
The law minister said that they will be sitting in the session till the evening, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow as well.
