IANS | Islamabad
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday signed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was earlier approved by both Houses of Parliament.
After his approval, the bill has now become part of the constitution, local media reported. Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Senate passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment bill after a second round of voting amid opposition’s protest.
The clauses of the amendment were already approved with two-thirds majority.
The bill, previously passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday, comprises 56 clauses and was presented in the Senate in the same form.
JUI-F members remained present in the House, while defected senators Saifullah Abro and Ahmad Khan from PTI and JUI-F joined the session to cast their votes, Pakistan-based The Express
Tribune reported.
Initially, the bill was presented in the Senate for voting on Monday and passed the same day.
The bill was then referred to the National Assembly, which passed it on Wednesday with some amendments.
The proposed legislation was again presented in the senate on Thursday to consider the changes.
Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar again tabled the bill in the Upper House of Parliament on Thursday.
Elaborating on the changes in the bill, he said the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) would continue to hold this post until he held the office, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported.
He stated that after CJP’s retirement, the senior most judge among the top-most judges of the Supreme Court and the planned Federal Constitutional Court would have the title of the CJP.
