Let’s break it down. In the Senate, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leads the government benches with 26 senators, followed by PML-N with 20 members. The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) adds 4, MQM-P brings in 3, while National Party and PML-Q contribute one senator each. On top of that, there are three independents — Senator Abdul Karim, Senator Abdul Qadir, and Mohsin Naqvi, who also back the government.
Then there’s another trio, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Asad Qasim, and Faisal Vawda, who don’t sit with either side officially but tend to vote with the government. With their support, the government effectively has 61 senators on its side.
Now, add a bit more. On the opposition benches sits one independent senator, Naseema Ehsan, who supported the government during the 26th Amendment. The ANP’s three senators also voted with the government last time. That potentially brings the government’s total to 65 votes, just enough cushion above the two-thirds mark.
On the opposition front, PTI holds 14 senators, plus 6 independents aligned with them. One newly elected PTI-backed senator is set to take oath soon, while another, Murad Saeed, hasn’t yet been sworn in. Then there’s JUI-P with 7 senators, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen with 1, and Sunni Ittehad Council with 1. Together, the opposition side counts 30 senators, most likely to vote against the amendment.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has already chaired a cabinet meeting where the 27th Constitutional Amendment was approved. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar confirmed that the amendment will be presented in the Senate today.
In short, the numbers are tight, but the government seems cautiously confident that it can push this one through.
