Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that with the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, the supremacy of parliament has been firmly established, marking the end of an era when elected governments could be dismissed on trivial pretexts.
Following the announcement of the vote count by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Prime Minister Shehbaz praised the unity displayed in passing the bill. He highlighted the damage caused when governments were previously ousted without justification, stating, “The era of sending governments home on Panama or Aqama pretexts has come to an end.”
Shehbaz expressed gratitude to his political allies, particularly PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, for their sincere efforts in building consensus on the bill. He lamented the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) decision not to participate in the process, despite hoping they would engage.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the constitutional amendment will strengthen democracy, uphold the rule of law, and ensure the delivery of swift justice to the people.
On Sunday night, the National Assembly passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill with 225 votes in favor, surpassing the required 224 votes. The PTI parliamentarians, however, walked out in protest. The bill had earlier been passed by the Senate with 65 members in favor and four opposing it.
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill, which saw 213 out of 215 members of the ruling coalition casting their votes in its favor. President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to sign the bill at the Presidential House, finalizing the historic amendment.
