By The government has announced plans to present the long-awaited constitutional amendments during the next National Assembly session. Senator Irfan Siddiqui of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) confirmed this decision after a three-hour committee meeting provided a detailed briefing on the amendments.
Siddiqui mentioned that while Maulana Fazlur Rehman does not fundamentally oppose the amendments, he has requested more time and assurances regarding the numbers. Siddiqui assured that the necessary votes are already secured, addressing concerns about the numbers.
Both houses of parliament are expected to adjourn indefinitely later today, with the amendments set to be introduced in the new session once a consensus is reached within the committee. Siddiqui also noted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members lack the authority to provide guarantees, highlighting the party’s internal issues.
The delay in presenting the amendments underscores the government’s efforts to build consensus among political leaders before moving forward with the legislative process.
The proposed constitutional amendments are stalled due to a deadlock between the PML-N-led ruling coalition and Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Despite urgent sessions of both the National Assembly and Senate, no progress was made as leaders failed to agree on the draft amendments.
Meetings, including those at Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence and special committee sessions chaired by Khursheed Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), ended without resolving the issues.
Although the government presented the main points of the proposed amendments, the draft was not distributed. Information Minister Ataullah Tarar claimed the draft was shared with JUI-F leadership, but JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri disputed this, saying no written draft was provided, which made it difficult to support verbally discussed details.
Opposition parties, including PTI, argued that committing to the amendments was premature without seeing the draft. Khursheed Shah stated that consultations are ongoing and that the draft could not be released until it was approved by the federal cabinet, a necessary step before parliamentary approval.
