The federal cabinet, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, is set to meet today to discuss the critical constitutional amendments draft.
The session, originally scheduled for 9:30am, was first delayed till 12 noon and later till 1:30pm, and is expected to approve the draft of the 26th Constitutional Amendment. Moreover, important sessions of the National Assembly and Senate will also be held again today with the constitutional amendments likely to be tabled in both houses for approval.
Meanwhile, the government has given the green signal to the National Assembly Secretariat for getting the amendments approved today.
According to government sources, the Legislature Department has prepared a supplementary agenda related to the introduction of the 26th amendment. This agenda will be presented in both the National Assembly and Senate for approval as soon as the government and speaker give the green signal.
The constitutional amendment is anticipated to be introduced in both legislative bodies by suspending the parliamentary rules. However, the amendment is not currently included in the agenda released for either the Senate or the National Assembly sessions.
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The Senate session, initially scheduled for 11am and then pushed to 12:30pm, will now be held at 3pm and will be chaired by Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani. The Senate's six-point agenda has been issued, but the constitutional amendment bill is still not part of it.
It is likely that a supplementary agenda will be presented to introduce the bill during the session with approval from the majority of the House.
In addition to the potential introduction of the constitutional amendments, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will present the Banking Companies Amendment Bill 2024 for Senate approval, and a motion will be moved to suspend the question-hour in the House.
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The National Assembly is also set to convene today at 3pm under the chairmanship of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. The Secretariat has released a nine-point agenda, which, like the Senate, does not yet include the constitutional amendment bill. However, it is possible that a supplementary agenda could be introduced later during the session.
Key items on the National Assembly’s agenda include the presentation of the Legal Aid and Justice Authority Amendment Bill 2024 for approval and call-attention notices regarding alleged large-scale malpractices in the collection of general sales tax.
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Another call-attention notice is likely to be presented regarding non-payment of pensions to retired employees of Radio Pakistan, while a discussion will also be held on the president's address to the joint session of parliament.
It is worth noting that the special parliamentary committee on Friday approved the draft of the constitutional amendments. According to details, the development came after efforts were made to reach a consensus on the draft among multiple parties.
The committee meeting was chaired by PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah.
