The government secured 225 votes, surpassing the required 224, with support from a handful of independent MNAs, including members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in the historic midnight passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment in the National Assembly on Sunday night.
Zahoor Qureshi, Aurangzeb Khichi, Usman Ali, and Mubarak Zeb were the PTI-backed independent MNAs who voted in the tweak’s favour, while Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)’s Chaudhry Ilyas also supported the legislation.
The chief justice of Pakistan, after the president’s assent, will be selected by a parliamentary committee and have a fixed term of three years under the judicial reforms passed during the late-night session of the parliament. Moreover, a new constitutional bench will also be formed.
On the recommendation of the parliamentary committee, the prime minister will send the name of the chief justice to the president. In case of refusal of a judge, the name of the next senior judge will be considered.
In response to the PTI MNAs support for the government’s move, former ruling party’s senior leader Asad Qaiser said on Monday that the PTI-backed independent candidates, who supported the contentious constitutional amendment, betrayed the party and its founder, Imran Khan.
“Those who voted [in favour of the bill] have committed treachery against the party and its founder,” said Qaiser during a media talk.
Emphasising that the votes cast were not in line with the party policy, Qaiser, who is also a former speaker of the lower house, stated: “These were not their votes, they were votes for the founder of PTI.”
Furthermore, he warned of legal action against those who showed disloyalty to the party.
