By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Senior PPP leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, who is spearheading a special parliamentary committee to deliberate the much-touted constitutional package, claimed on Friday that consensus had been achieved within the body.
The Senate and the National Assembly are set to convene in the evening today as the government is expected to move forward with the package. The Constitutional Package is legislation proposing a set of constitutional amendments, including the extension of the chief justice’s term.
A special parliamentary committee formed last month has the representation of all parties, including the PTI. Various proposals have been discussed by the committee, with the PPP having made its draft public on October 11, following which it reached a consensus with the JUI-F.
A day after the heads of the PPP, PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) met at Jati Umra, Shah told media persons on Thursday that the PML-N, JUI-F and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan seemed to be in agreement. On the other hand, the PTI said it would not share its proposals without getting a sign-off from its incarcerated founder Imran Khan.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Shah said: “The committee has unanimously accepted the bill that was presented today.”
Shah said the draft was now sent to the federal cabinet for approval. To a question about the package being presented in parliament today, he said that would only happen after the cabinet passed it.
While the government seemed confident of introducing the amendment draft in the Senate today, the plans face the challenge of maintaining support from Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who in a media talk with PTI Chairman Gohar Khan last night threatened to walk out of negotiations over alleged harassment of opposition lawmakers to secure support for the bill.
