ISLAMABAD: Parliament could not hold its extraordinary session to take up a constitutional package envisaging changes to more than 20 articles of the constitution of 1973 later this night, and postponed the sitting till Monday afternoon.
The session of the National Assembly and Senate was convened on Sunday evening and later delayed till 11pm. When members had arrived for the session, it was postponed perhaps due to lack of the required number of members for the passage of the package.
After the amendments, the appointment of the chief justice of Pakistan will be made by the government from a panel of five senior judges of the apex court. the government will also appoint judges of the constitutional court.
The articles set for amendments include 51, 63, 175 and 187. There is also an amendment to increase the number of seats of the Balochistan assembly from the current 65 to 81. Article 63 is also being amended including the section related to the votes of disgruntled members of any political party who cross floor.
The amendments also seek the establishment of a constitutional court that will hear constitution related cases and for this changes are being made to articles 184, 185 and 186.
PML-N leader Khawaja Asif said the government would secure the 224 votes needed to pass the amendment, adding he was hopeful JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman would vote in its favour. He refuted reports that the amendment was being introduced just to give an extension to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.
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