President Asif Ali Zardari has signed the 26th amendment bill to the country’s constitution on the advice of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Its gazette was published immediately after he signed the constitution amendment bill on Monday.
On Sunday, the Pakistani government passed a package of constitutional amendments in the country’s parliament. As a result, the country’s courts will be prevented from giving judgments that ‘interfere’ with the parliament. Geo News reports.
The amendment states that from now on, the Chief Justice of Pakistan will be appointed through a parliamentary committee and his term will be fixed for three years. In addition, a new constitutional bench will be formed.
The much-discussed bill was raised in the session that began at midnight on Sunday. After heated debate in the session that began at 11:36 pm local time, the 26th constitution amendment bill was finally passed at 5 am on Monday.
National elections were held in Pakistan last February. Tensions have been rising between the government and the country’s top court since the election.
The last national election was marred by allegations of rigging. There has also been widespread criticism that the election was held while the country’s most popular politician, Imran Khan, was kept in prison and was not allowed to contest.
The government received support from several small religious groups in passing the amendment. The day before the amendment was passed, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Asif Khawaja said on Saturday that it aimed to stop judicial interference in parliament.
The amendment needed 224 votes to pass in parliament. The vote was 225. Some rebel members of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party voted in favor of the amendment.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed a petition challenging the proposed 26th constitutional amendment. The amendment was requested to be withdrawn by former Supreme Court Bar President and current member of the Pakistan Bar Council, Abid S. Zubair, and other members of the council.
In addition, former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan had written a letter to the United Nations warning against constitutional amendments.
In his letter to the United Nations, he warned that possible changes to the constitution could be made. If these were implemented, the independence of the country’s judiciary and human rights would be threatened.
