The standing committees on law and justice of both houses of Parliament approved on Sunday the draft of a bill for a 27th Constitutional Amendment after some changes, Senator Farooq H. Naek told reporters after a meeting that was convened to deliberate on the proposed changes.
He said that he and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had been authorised to make changes to some clauses of the bill, without sharing anymore details about the said clauses.
Alongside him, Tarar said they would submit a report on the proposals finalised by the committees to the Senate today (Monday).
The bill for Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Act, 2025 was tabled before the Senate on Saturday, hours after it was approved by the federal cabinet, triggering noisy protests from the opposition over the pace and scope of the proposed changes.
That initial draft of the bill proposed the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), changes to the appointment process for high court judges, a higher cap on provincial cabinets, and changes to the military leadership structure.
Subsequently, the bill was referred to the Senate’s and National Assembly’s Committees on Law and Justice for further deliberation. The committees had met for the purpose yesterday, and the session was reconvened on Sunday.
Senate Committee on Law and Justice Chairperson Senator Farooq H. Naek and his counterpart for the National Assembly panel, MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, co-chaired Sunday’s meeting.
Lawmakers of the PTI, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), meanwhile, continued their boycott of the parliamentary committee.
Tarar and Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik were also among those who participated in the meeting. Deputy Prime Minister and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar, too, briefly attended the proceedings.
PML-N Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu, Awami National Party’s (ANP) Hidayatullah Khan, and PPP MNAs Kasim Gilani and Syed Abrar Ali Shah were also part of the joint moot, while PML-N MNA Shumaila Rana attended via video link.
Earlier, when the meeting was paused for lunch break, Naek said while speaking to the media that “discussions on three points were yet to be completed – transfers of cases from one high court to another high court, transfer of judges from high court to another high court and Article 243 (command of the armed forces).”
The discussion on these matters would be resumed after lunch, he said, adding that some objections had been raised pertaining to the transfer of judges and cases.
“Discussions are ongoing regarding this and it is hoped that a consensus will be reached,” he further stated.
Prior to Sunday’s meeting, when Naek was asked about suggestions made by various ruling allies and whether “two parties had come face to face on the immunity for the president and prime minister”, the PPP senator had affirmed that all parties had a right to voice their opinion.
Noting that the proposals of the PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) would be considered in the meeting, Naek said, “Decisions will be taken based on whatever the majority’s opinion is.”
During another break, ANP’s Hidayatullah Khan had told reporters that the committee had sought time until tomorrow to decide on his party’s suggestion for changing the name of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Meanwhile, Tarar had told reporters it was decided that provinces be taken into confidence on changing the province’s name. MQM-P’s suggestion regarding local governments was also discussed, he added.
Earlier, Tarar had said the joint committees had completed “85 per cent of the work” and expressed the hope that the deliberations would be over by the evening.
He had also highlighted PM Shehbaz Sharif’s directives issued earlier in the day to withdraw the amendments proposing legal immunity for premiers.
Referring to the JUI-F’s absence, the law minister had stated its members had informed the committee yesterday about their party’s policy. He emphasised that parliamentary parties should utilise their right to vote, rather than boycotting the process altogether.
After Saturday’s meeting, Tarar had told reporters that all parliamentary parties were participating in the process and that the government had also “requested the opposition to contribute constructively”.
“Till the time we do not reach a consensus, from all members of both Houses, the discussions will continue,” the law minister had said.
Prior to Sunday’s meeting, it was reported that the standing committees were likely to finalise the mechanism for the transfer of high court judges through the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) – a process which may not require the consent of the judges being transferred.
The panels cleared nearly 80 per cent of the proposed bill on Saturday in a joint in-camera meeting, including most clauses of the judicial reforms package. But deliberations on the field marshal’s status under Article 243 (command of the armed forces) of the Constitution were deferred until Sunday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had held consultations with multiple ruling allies on Thursday, meeting with the top leadership of the MQM-P, the PML-Q, the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP), the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), the ANP and the PML-Zia.
However, no meeting was reported between the government and the PTI.