ISLAMABAD – The political tension between the government and the opposition party [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] in these days touching peaks on all the fronts. The opposition party , despite all the blockades at the roads leading to federal capital, registering fierce protests just around a week before Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Though Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has clearly warned the PTI leadership headed by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur not to disrupt law-and-order situation ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, yet the protestors led by CM KPK Ali Amin Gandapur are seemingly turning a deaf ear on it.
In parallel, The ruling clique has not totally ignored a significant legislative business regarding ‘Constitutional Package’ that will expectedly land in the parliament in the next week.
The political and constitutional gurus shared that the ruling party (PML-N) has been advised by the main coalition partner to initiate legislative process after ensuring numerical strength – “Magic number” – and after the SCO Summit. The final decision on this matter , as per the views of political gurus, expected after dealing with current political unrest in the form of political protests by the PTI.
In a significant development, the apex court in its ruling restored lawmakers’ right to vote against party directives, reversing a 2022 decision that limited parliamentarians to follow the party lines. As, the government considering it an opportunity to ensure 2/3 majority in both the houses (National Assembly and Senate) will try to take members other than treasury benches in their fold. It is also being assumed by some of political analysts that there might not be much need of 13 votes (08 National National and 05 Senate) of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazal. Whereas, the government side has not closed door leading to Maulana’ residents, which remained centre of attention in the first failed attempt to pass 26th constitutional amendment.
Background discussions with ruling party members indicated that the government side once again hold series of meetings with JUI-F Chief and some other party members to ensure its numerical strength (2/3 majority) before moving the draft in the parliament.
The vote of defecting members can serve the purpose, if the ruling parties got their support for constitutional package.
As, the Supreme Court accepting review petition of Supreme Court Bar Association ruled that defecting parliamentarians should indeed be counted.
The government should also keep in mind that Barister Salman Akram Raja in his recent statement warned that the protest against the constitutional amendments would not end anywhere. So, the government has to deal with all the fronts in the month of October if it successfully proceed constitutional package comprising a dozen clauses related to judiciary.
The ruling parties’ parliamentarians, in the last month, could not able to secure required numerical strength yet this second round to approve the controversial constitutional package are seemingly bright comparatively.
According to the strength, the government has to ensure the magic figures [224 and 64] respectively in the National Assembly and the Senate for 26th constitutional package.
The government has also started planning to summon National Assembly and Senate sessions separately in the next week to reinitiate legislation process on a ‘constitutional package’.
President Asif Ali Zardari, according to the plan, will formally move the summary for calling the sessions to discuss host of current political matters and constitutional package in the next week.
