ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Wednesday completed the clause-by-clause approval of 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill with its 59 clauses receiving the house’s consent.
The session, presided over by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, saw Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar move the motion for the amendment.
While addressing the assembly, the minister stated that the framework of the 27th Amendment had already been presented in the Senate and described constitutional and legal reform as an “evolutionary process” essential for the country’s governance.
Mr Tarar clarified that the position of the Chief Justice of Pakistan would remain unchanged under the new amendment.
He further stated that Justice Yahya Afridi would continue to serve as Chief Justice of Pakistan, and after him, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court would assume the position of Chief Justice, in line with the revised succession framework.
Subsequently, a clause-by-clause vote was conducted in the house, during which all 59 provisions were approved. The amendment received 233 votes in favor and 4 votes against, comfortably surpassing the 224 votes constitutionally required for passage.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) opposed the amendment, while the government benches maintained a strong presence with 233 members in attendance.
Opposition lawmakers, however, staged a protest sit-in in front of the Speaker’s dais during the voting process, expressing dissent over certain provisions of the bill.
The government’s success in securing parliamentary approval has further consolidated its position to proceed with judicial and constitutional reforms.
According to parliamentary sources, several minor revisions were made to the bill during Senate deliberations, and a few clauses were omitted before the final approval in the National Assembly.
