Pakistan’s 26th Constitutional Amendment: A Step Towards Judicial Reforms

A special parliamentary committee, chaired by People’s Party’s Khurshid Shah, has convened today to finalize the draft of the proposed 26th constitutional amendment. This development follows yesterday’s agreement between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on judicial reforms.

Consensus on Judicial Reforms

After hours-long discussions at Jati Umra in Lahore, the three parties reached a consensus on judicial reforms. Ishaq Dar stated that the reforms will ensure speedy justice, while Fazlur Rehman emphasized efforts to agree on other points.

Key Points

• Merging Drafts: Senator Irfan Siddiqui expressed optimism about merging the three drafts into one.
• Judicial Reforms: Consensus reached among PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F.
• Speedy Justice: Reforms aim to provide speedy justice.
• Federal Government’s Role: The government is expected to table the constitutional amendment in the National Assembly today.

Meeting Attendees

• President Asif Ali Zardari
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
• PML-N President Nawaz Sharif
• JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman
• Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz
• PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Next Steps

With the consensus reached, the focus shifts to finalizing the draft and presenting it to the National Assembly. The outcome of today’s committee meeting will be crucial in shaping Pakistan’s judicial landscape.

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