The Senate session also started but adjourned around midnight for 30 minutes. Multiple delays characterized the federal government’s attempts to convene. On Saturday, officials planned to meet to discuss the judicial reform package, which includes a set of constitutional amendments. One significant proposal is the extension of the chief justice’s term. A special parliamentary committee, formed last month and representing all parties, including the PTI, has been discussing various proposals. After many delays from its scheduled time, the session adjourned before midnight.
The government’s constitutional amendments were noticeably absent as Saturday’s National Assembly session finally began.
PPP and JUI-F Draft Agreement
On October 11, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) made its proposals public. Following this, the PPP and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) agreed on a shared draft of the amendments. The federal cabinet originally scheduled a meeting for Friday evening. However, it announced a special cabinet meeting would take place on Saturday morning to approve the draft bill.
The cabinet meeting, set for 9:30 AM, faced multiple postponements. It was delayed to 10 AM, then to 12 PM, and finally rescheduled for 2 PM. Ultimately, the session did not take place.
National Assembly Session Changes
According to a statement from the National Assembly (NA) on its X account, Friday’s session was adjourned until 3 PM Saturday. Notably, the constitutional package was not part of the NA agenda shared on X. NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq later changed the session time to 7 PM, then to 9:30 PM.
The NA session finally commenced around 11:50 PM. Shortly after, Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah adjourned the session until 11:30 AM on Sunday.
Senate Session Delays
The Senate session was initially set to resume at 12:30 PM but faced multiple delays. It was pushed back to 3 PM, then to 6:30 PM, and finally to 8 PM, as noted in notifications from the secretariat. Despite some senators being present, the session did not begin on time. It finally kicked off at 11 PM with 37 members present under Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan’s leadership. The session adjourned for 30 minutes around midnight.
Government Claims Majority Support
Meanwhile, federal government ministers claimed they had the necessary number of lawmakers to pass the much-touted 26th constitutional amendment. At a press conference at Parliament House, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the consultation process was still underway. He emphasized the government’s commitment to achieving consensus on the issue.
Tarar recounted the various political meetings held over the past few days. He stated, “Despite the numbers and homework being complete, we continue the consultation process to achieve broader consensus.” He stressed the importance of involving all political parties in a fruitful debate on every clause of the amendment.
He reiterated that the consultation was “speedily underway.” Tarar aimed to complete it at any cost on that day, asserting that no previous amendment underwent as much debate as the current one. He quoted PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying they had “other options” but were committed to a democratic process.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also echoed the sentiment, affirming the government’s pursuit of a broad consensus on the constitutional package in both houses of parliament. He confirmed that the government’s numbers were “pretty much complete.”
As discussions continue, the future of the constitutional amendments remains uncertain amidst the ongoing delays and political maneuvering.
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