Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sought his party’s support to pass the 27th Constitutional Amendment “proposing the establishment of a Constitutional Court”.
The PPP chief in a post on X said that a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) delegation led by PM Shehbaz called on President Asif Ali Zardari and “requested” support for the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Bilawal said that as per the proposals, the tweak also seeks to amend Article 243 — which pertains to the supreme command of the armed forces — as well as several other key constitutional adjustments.
Article 243 of the Constitution of Pakistan vests the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces in the president and reads, “The President shall, on advice of the Prime Minister, appoint Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff, and Chief of the Air Staff.
The PPP chairman said that the proposals also include the introduction of executive magistrates, provisions for the transfer of judges, and the removal of protections related to provincial shares in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
The amendment also seeks to return education and population planning to the federal domain and to resolve the longstanding deadlock over appointments to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Bilawal said that the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) will convene on November 6 upon President Zardari’s return from Doha to deliberate on the proposed amendment and decide the party’s stance.
It may be noted here that the federal government is considering the 27th Constitutional Amendment a year after the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment that paved the way for the creation of constitutional benches and fixed a three-year term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).
The 26th Constitutional Amendment also established a deadline of January 1, 2028, for the end of the practice of Riba (interest-based banking) in the country.
Key points of 26th Amendment, 2024 Bill:
- Chief Justice of Pakistan’s tenure fixed at three years.
- Constitutional benches to be established at the SC and high courts.
- Senior-most judge of each bench to serve as presiding officer.
- Parliamentary committee to nominate new CJP from panel of three most senior judges.
- Committee to propose name to PM, who will then forward it to president for final approval.
- JCP, led by CJP and three others, responsible for appointment of SC judges.
- JCP to monitor judges’ performance, report any concerns to Supreme Judicial Council.
- Complete eradication of Riba (interest) from country by January 1, 2028.
