The 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill was tabled in the Senate on Saturday and subsequently referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice for review.
Earlier in the day, the federal cabinet had approved the draft of the bill.
The Senate session, which began slightly later than scheduled at around 1:15 p.m., opened with Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar requesting the suspension of the Question Hour and other agenda items to brief members on the contents of the proposed amendment.
After presenting the bill in the Upper House, Chairman Senate Yusuf Raza Gilani referred it to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice for detailed examination.
Chairman Gilani stated that the committee should review the bill thoroughly, keeping in view parliamentary tradition and the constitutional significance of the proposed amendment.
He directed the committee to invite the chairman and members of the National Assembly’s Law and Justice Committee to participate in the deliberations and share their recommendations.
He further said that both committees could hold a joint session, and a comprehensive report would later be presented before the Senate.
During the session, PTI Senator Ali Zafar objected to the timing of the discussion, saying that debating a constitutional amendment while the position of Opposition Leader remains vacant was inappropriate. He alleged that the government and its allied parties appeared to be rushing the bill through the legislative process.
Ali Zafar suggested that instead of sending the bill to the committee, the entire Senate should function as a committee of the whole, allowing all members to participate in the debate.
He further pointed out that the opposition members had received the draft bill only today and had not yet had the opportunity to study it, adding, “We cannot debate something we have not even read.”
