Parliament all supreme now

ISLAMABAD - The Upper House of Parliament on Thursday unanimously approved the 18th Amendment Bill renaming the NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and repealing the 17th Amendment as well as LFO 2002. The Bill abolished the Concurrent List and assured equal share in natural resources to the Federation and the respective provinces. It also approved formation of the seven-member Judicial Commission for appointment of judges in the higher judiciary and also restricted the size of Federal Cabinet to 11 percent of the strength of the Parliament. The re-establishment of Islamabad High Court, removing the name of Gen Zia, and insertion of three new fundamental rights in the Constitution namely rights of education, fair trial and information are other important provisions of the Bill. The House rejected the amendments introduced by PML-Q senators in clause 3 of the Bill pertaining to renaming of NWFP with 80-12 vote. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani congratulated the nation and the Parliament after the passage of the Bill and said the Charter of Democracy had been made reality. He also congratulated Shaukat Tarin for contributing in developing consensus on the NFC Award and advised the NWFP Government to satisfy the people of Hazara. He further said that the politicians should now come up with a consensus accountability law. He also announced that Mian Raza Rabbani would head the council being constituted to look after implementation of the Bill. Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Wasim Sajjad said the Prime Minister had got unprecedented powers and that now he should resolve the various issues faced by the poor. Senators Salim Saifullah, Safdar Abbasi, and others introduced amendments in clause 6 of the Bill, pertaining to intra-party elections, but were consequently rejected with 71-16 votes. Muhammad Ali Durrani also introduced amendment in clause 59 of the Bill, which was rejected with 87-1 votes. All other clauses of the Bill were approved with unanimous vote. Muhammad Ali Durrani boycotted the proceedings against rejection of his amendment regarding restoration of the Bahawalpur province. The Bill also changed the English spelling of Sind province to Sindh and that of Baluchistan province to Balochistan. It also approved establishment of the Peshawar High Courts benches in Swat and Lakki Marwat and the High Court of Balochistans bench in Turbat. The House witnessed a clear divide in PML-Q, as despite the stated position of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat against the renaming of NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, only 12 members of the party voted against the respective clause of the 18th Amendment Bill. Senator Gulshan Saeed of PML-Q publicly voted in favour of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Senator Muhammad Ali Durranis amendment in the respective clause also included the name of NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, though he didnt vote on the clause due to boycott of the proceedings. JUI-F Senator Talha Mehmood rigorously spoke against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but voted in favour of the same. Senator Azam Swati did not join the proceedings, who was also against the renaming while PML-N Senator Sajid Mir did not cast his vote on the respective clause. A total of 92 senators were present in the House but the strength reduced to 90 at the time of final approval of the Bill. Agencies add: Ninety lawmakers present in the 100-member Senate voted in favour of the package of amendments and there was no vote against it. It is a victory of democracy today, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the assembly after the vote. Approval of this constitutional amendment is a landmark in the constitutional history of Pakistan, Gilani said. After fulfilling the constitutional requirements, now it is time to deliver. We all share this responsibility and people should now enjoy the dividends of the 18th Amendment, the PM said.