Meeting of joint parliamentary body begins to discuss 27th Amendment

The meeting of Joint Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice has started as efforts to develop a consensus on the 27th constitutional amendment behind closed doors gains momentum, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek, who is chairing the meeting, has said that the committee is making efforts to reach consensus by 5:00 PM. “It is the right of all political parties to give their point of view on the legislation,” the senator said, adding, “Today, we will take into account their opinion.”

The JUI-F had boycotted the meeting on Saturday.

On the other hand, the Senate will also meet at 3:00 PM today.

The session follows the joint sitting of both committees held yesterday, which began clause-by-clause consideration of the proposed amendment.

The committees decided to carry out an extensive review to ensure all provisions of the bill are thoroughly examined before approval.

Yesterday’s meeting was co-chaired by Senator Farooq H Naek and MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk. While most political parties attended, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) boycotted the session in protest.

However, former federal minister Ejaz-ul-Haq participated via video link.

After the meeting, Senator Farooq H Naek told reporters that consensus had developed on nearly 80 percent of the proposed amendment, while the remaining points are expected to be finalized today. 

He said that several political parties had already agreed on Article 175, relating to the appointment of judges.

Naek expressed optimism that the legislation would only move forward once complete consensus was reached among all parties. “The consultation will continue until there is a hundred percent agreement,” he said, confirming the stance of the Federal Minister for Law.

The PPP leader added that members from across party lines had presented their opinions and suggestions, all of which were being reviewed carefully.

He urged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and other opposition parties to actively participate in the process “in the national interest,” emphasizing that the views of both government and opposition must be placed on record.

Speaking separately to the media, PPP senior leader Naveed Qamar said the government had accepted several of the PPP’s proposals, while others were still under examination. 

He noted that no decision had yet been made regarding proposals submitted by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Qamar stressed that no new proposals should be rushed, saying the PPP preferred to focus on discussions of earlier submissions to ensure a well-considered outcome.

Reporter: Usman Khan