Lahore: In a dramatic bid to achieve judicial reform, prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday appeared at the residence of Sharif family’s Jati Umra mansion in Lahore as president Asif Ali Zardari and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also called on Sharifs. The deal they hammered out will be part of the proposed 26th amendment to the constitution.
Party heads of the PPP, JUI-F, and PML-N arrived at PML-N President Nawaz Sharif’s residence to hammer out the major elements of the constitutional package. The party’s leadership of the three parties agreed on judicial reforms during the late night consultations. Maulana Fazl announced that consensus had been achieved on judicial reforms. Further discussions will be held on further proposals.
Maulana Fazl, who made appearances before the press, said he would consult with the leaders in Islamabad, for their input would be merged into the whole process of the constitutional amendment.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that his party had already reached agreement on the judicial reforms with the JUI-F, and now three mainstream parties had come to an agreement. “At an appropriate time, we will ensure that the proposed amendment is passed by both Houses of Parliament,” Bilawal commented.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed that judicial reforms were agreed upon, and was hopeful that consensus would soon be achieved on other proposed amendments.
This political agreement came through a joint press conference by Maulana Fazl and Bilawal, while during the conference, both announced that they have reached a consensus over a draft for the 26th constitutional amendment. Maulana Fazl appreciated the efforts made by Bilawal in bridging the gap between the two parties on this critical issue.
Among the reforms, it is proposing to provide for a federal constitutional court and will fix the tenure of the CJP for three years. The government had earlier an attempt to pass this closely-guarded constitutional package before which JUI-F refused support.
The sessions of the National Assembly and Senate have been summoned to reassemble on October 17.
The coalition government is taking the constitutional package in the parliament with all seriousness and hastening its passage. After inviting both the sessions of National Assembly and the Senate for October 17 in the separate hearings, President Asif Ali Zardari summoned the National Assembly session at 4:00 pm; the Senate would meet at 3:00 pm.
Passed through the amendments, a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and Senate are required for the government. Even though there’s an agreement amongst the key political leaders, it is understood that the government is 13 votes short in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate; therefore, the next parliamentary sessions are going to be all-important for the future of the proposed reforms.