As per reports, the amendment proposes introducing a new post called “Commander of Defense Forces” to ensure better coordination and unified command among the three armed forces.
Sources also say that under this amendment, instead of the existing constitutional bench in the Supreme Court, a new nine-member Constitutional Court will be established.
Along with that, it has been suggested to increase the upper age limit of Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges from 68 to 70 years.
According to insiders, if there is a deadlock in appointing the Chief Election Commissioner, the matter will be handed over to the Supreme Judicial Commission.
The proposed amendment also aims to reduce the role of the President and Prime Minister in appointing judges of the higher judiciary, while giving more authority to the Judicial Commission.
In terms of the NFC Award, the draft proposes giving the federal government an additional ten percent share from the provinces’ portion. There are also ongoing efforts to build consensus on transferring the education and health sectors back to the federal government.
However, sources say that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is not yet willing to give more constitutional powers to local government institutions, though further consultations have been decided on this issue.
It’s worth mentioning that the federal cabinet meeting scheduled for today has been postponed. According to sources, the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill was supposed to be approved in that meeting. The bill was also expected to be presented in the Senate today, but due to the ongoing consultation within the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), the decision has been delayed till tomorrow.
