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‘Much-touted’ 26th constitutionAl AMendMent bulldozed through PArliAMent with ‘two-third MAjority’ Monday, 21 October, 2024 I | 17 Rabi ul Sani, 1446
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Senate passes bill with two-third majority after cabinet’s approval; PTI refrains from voting
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ISLAMABAD
SALEEM JADOON
FTER approved by the federal cabinet and passed the Senate with a twothird majority on Sunday evening, the National Assembly session is underway to pass the “much-touted 26th Constitution Amendment Bill 2024” amid voting process boycott by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. In view of the numbers in the senate, the government set to achieves the required number of 224 votes to pass the bill and enact it into law. Like in the Senate, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the National Assembly during the session that started late Sunday night and continued until the early hours of Monday morning. Tarar high-
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Law Minister presents Constitutional Amend Bill in Senate and NA
lighted key features of the bill already been approved by the Senate. Bilawal lauds Fazl’s efforts in facilitating passage of 26th Constitutional amendment After a brief recess, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari delivered a speech that lasted more than 50 minutes, expressing gratitude to JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for playing a crucial role in securing the passage of the bill. He said Maulana Fazl played pivotal role in bringing together different political factions to ensure successful approval of the crucial Constitutional amendments. He lauded PML-N leadership, especially former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and allied parties for making possible the passage of amendments. He stated that the key achievement in judicial reforms was restoring Parliament’s role in regaining the
power to appoint judges to the superior judiciary. He also acknowledged the role of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in opposing the bill, stating that it was their constitutional right to do so. Bilawal acknowledged that Fazl had been instrumental in the success
PTI boycott voting for ‘controversial and non-transparent’ constitutional amendments ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Sunday decided against becoming part of the voting process for constitutional amendments, though later attended the sessions in both the houses of the Parliament – Senate and National Assembly – with few members to express their concerns. During a meeting chaired by Barrister Gohar, the PTI’s political
committee decided not to participate in “what they deemed a highly controversial and non-transparent” amendment process. According to the statement issued after the political committee meeting, the PTI will fully boycott the voting on constitutional amendments in both the Senate and the National Assembly. The party also decided to protest vigorously against any PTI members who would violate party
policy by participating in the voting process. The political committee asserted that the current regime has no moral, democratic, or constitutional justification for altering the constitution. The statement accused the ruling coalition of imposing the “law of the jungle” through amendments, which the party believes undermines democracy.
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26th amendment sets Jan 2028 deadline to end Riba, paves way for interest-free banking PROFIT
NEWS DESK
The 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2024, recently passed by the Senate, has established a deadline of January 1, 2028, for the end of the practice of Riba (interest-based banking) in the country. The clause was added to the draft amendments at the suggestion of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), the Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman-led regio-political party, which gave the government a tough time in presenting the draft of the amendment bill. To eradicate this form of usury, the Senate approved the amendment in clause (f) of Article 38 of the Constitution, which pertains to the promotion of social and
economic well-being. The current clause states that “eliminate Riba as early as possible,” and the government replaced this with “as far as practicable, by the 1st of January, 2028.” Earlier in 2022, the Federal Shariat Court gave the government five years to implement an Islamic and interest-free banking system in the country, as the economic system of an Islamic country like Pakistan should be free of interest. Justice Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer read out the verdict that was reserved by a three-member bench of the Federal Shariat Court. The verdict stated that abolition of Riba is fundamental for an Islamic system, adding that “any transaction involving Riba is wrong”.
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Nationwide tally rises to 39 as Sindh reports two new poliovirus cases ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Two more cases of the wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in Sindh, taking the total number of countrywide cases to 39 so far in 2024, said the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). According to Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) officials on Sunday, the two new cases — a boy from Mirpurkhas and a girl from Sanghar – are the first known instances of the disease in their respective areas this year. According to the PEI officials in Islamabad, Sindh is experiencing an increase in virus transmission, particularly after multiple environmental samples from Mirpurkhas tested positive for WPV1 earlier this year. After Balochistan recorded 20 cases, Sindh has now confirmed 12, while five have been diagnosed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and one each in Punjab and
Islamabad. At least three children have also died due to the disease this year in Pakistan, according to National EOC sources. These victims belonged to Karachi and Balochistan. The NEOC officials said the child, Abdullah, who died of poliovirus hailed from Karachi’s Bin Qasim Town in the Malir district while the other two children belonged to Balochistan’s Killa Saifullah and Quetta. POLIO VACCINATION DRIVE TO COMMENCE ON OCT 25 On the other hand, a nationwide polio vaccination drive is set to commence on October 25, aiming to immunize over 4.5 million children across Pakistan. According to sources, the campaign will be conducted in three phases, starting from Sindh province. The first phase will begin on October 25 in Sindh, followed by the second phase on October 28 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The third phase will commence on November 11 in Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad.
It’s up to India, Pakistan to decide on scope and role of any bilateral dialogue: Miller WASHINGTON AGENCIES
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that the United States valued its relationships with both Pakistan and India and it is up to both the countries to make a decision regarding the scope and role of any bilateral dialogue. In response to the meeting between Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistani leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Miller emphasised that the US maintained bilateral relations with both countries. He added that the scope and nature of any discussions between the two nations was a matter for Pakistan and India to decide among themselves. Reacting to the meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with Pakistani leaders during the summit, Miller said: “We have
bilateral relations with Pakistan and India. The US values its relations with both countries.” Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar visited Islamabad for the SCO meeting, where he attended a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and had an informal meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Both Pakistan and India witnessed their usually contentious relations ease during the SCO Council of Heads of Government Summit that welcomed top leaders of member countries in the federal capital. India, ensuring its participation in the high-level summit, sent its External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who termed the event as a “productive meeting”, soon after his speech on October 16. Jaishankar, who attended the SCO moot held in Islamabad, was the first foreign minister of the neighbouring country to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade. “Signed eight outcome documents. India made a positive and constructive contribution to the deliberations,” he wrote on .
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After Holy Quran, 1973 Constitution holds highest sanctity for me: Bilalwal
of the 26th Amendment package passage in Parliament. He said following his praise for President Asif Ali Zardari, he acknowledges Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s contributions in upholding the sanctity of the Constitution. He stated, “After the Holy Quran, the 1973 Constitution
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Tarar calls amendments a milestone for parliamentary supremacy
holds the highest sanctity for me. In 1973, political polarization was at its peak, and there were widespread differences with the opposition. Despite this, we set aside our differences and gave the country a constitution.” He stated that during the passage of the 18th Amendment, his party had removed all the oppressive laws imposed by dictators. He emphasized that politicians are bound to operate within the space available to them. He noted that there was a perception that Pakistani politicians were unwilling to engage with one another. After Bilawal, PTI’s Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan took over the floor of the NA and criticised the bill, noting that the constitutional amendment did not reflect the will of the Pakistani people. Taking a jab at Law Minister Tarar and Bilawal, he said that those
who had “gone missing” should have been thanked as well during the note of thanks. Ayub detailed how PTI lawmakers were “tortured and harassed”. “These were all tactics to pressure us. The mistreatment of Imran Khan in jail is also an example,” he said. The PTI had alleged that seven of its lawmakers had been “abducted” and that the government was trying to enact the amendment at “gunpoint”. Ayub also questioned the urgency behind passing the amendments, asking, “What would have happened had it been passed on October 31?” He also said that the amendments were an attempt to undermine the independence of the judiciary. “We do not think this government is capable of bringing constitutional amendments.
concerning the constitutional amendment.” Fazl expressed his support for the PTI’s decision to abstain from voting due to the alleged mistreatment of its members, stating, “If PTI is not participating in the vote because of violence against its members, I stand with them.” He also extended his gratitude to PTI for their cooperation, adding, “We have worked together with great effort, but we cannot im-
pose decisions on any party.” Commenting further on the constitutional amendment, he emphasised that it should not be tied to specific judges or individuals, saying, “It’s not just about seniority; fitness also plays a significant role.” Earlier, Rehman had assured the government that his party would support the constitutional amendment in parliament.
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Broke fangs of black snake concerning constitutional amendment: Fazl ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday stated that the coalition had effectively neutralised opposition to the constitutional amendment. Speaking to the media alongside Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, he remarked, “Overall, we have broken the fangs of the black snake
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