‘Constitutional Package’ to not be tabled in NA, Senate today

On Monday, Senator Irfan Siddiqui of the ruling PML-N announced that the contentious Constitutional Package’ would not be presented in either house of Parliament today.

The package includes proposed amendments to the Constitution, including one that seeks to set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years.

The legislation was initially expected to be introduced in the National Assembly and Senate today, following intensive efforts by the ruling coalition over the weekend to secure the necessary support.

In a statement to a private channel, Siddiqui indicated that both parliamentary sessions scheduled for today would be “prorogued” and would reconvene only when the government is fully prepared to present the constitutional amendment.

When asked about the possibility of delaying the matter for months, Siddiqui dismissed the idea, suggesting that the legislation would likely be presented within a week or two.

“We had hoped to pass it within two days,” Siddique remarked.

Discussing his recent talks with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Siddiqui described Fazl as “very flexible.”

Irfan Siddique noted that while Fazl expressed valid and rational concerns about the constitutional package, he did not fundamentally oppose it but required additional time to review the details. He indicated that both Fazl and the government agreed to postpone the introduction of the package by a few days.

Senator Siddique characterized Fazl’s response as “very positive,” stating that there were no major objections raised.

The Senate session initially held at 12:30pm today was later delayed, while the National Assembly session began around 1pm.

For a constitutional amendment to proceed, it must first be approved by the federal cabinet.

Although the proposed legislation had been kept from public scrutiny, leading to frustration among the opposition and government allies, it was eventually discussed in a special parliamentary committee meeting aimed at gaining opposition support.

The PTI, which has criticized the lack of a draft during the three-hour meeting, has made considerable effort to block the amendment introduction.

According to media analysts, if the government secures Fazl’s backing, it would likely achieve the required 64 votes in the Senate, assuming the Awami National Party also supports it. However, the situation in the National Assembly could remain challenging, as even with JUI-F support, the government would still be short by three votes.