Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has expressed dissatisfaction with the strategy adopted by the government regarding a constitutional amendment. The former Prime Minister, who arrived in Islamabad from his Jati Umra residence on Sunday, returned to Lahore after expressing his displeasure with his party's approach.

Sources within the party reveal that Nawaz Sharif was unhappy with how Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif handled the matter and chose to distance himself from the process.

 Nawaz had intended to attend the National Assembly session in Islamabad but did not meet with key political figures such as President Asif Ali Zardari and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, despite efforts by Shehbaz Sharif to arrange a meeting.

Nawaz reportedly criticized the government for not consulting Maulana Fazlur Rehman before proceeding with the constitutional amendment.

The National Assembly is set to discuss and present significant constitutional amendments in today’s session, including a proposal to increase representation for Balochistan in the provincial assembly. The amendment seeks to raise the number of seats in the Balochistan Assembly from 65 to 81, aiming to provide better legislative representation for the province.

The proposed amendments include changes to several key articles of the Constitution, including Articles 51, 63, 175, and 187.

Key Amendments

Article 63: Changes related to the disqualification of parliament members, including provisions addressing the voting behaviour of defecting assembly members.

Article 181: Expected amendments focus on broader judicial reforms. One notable change proposes that the Chief Justice of Pakistan will no longer have their tenure extended, and judges from the Islamabad High Court may be transferred to other provincial High Courts.

One of the most significant amendments suggests altering the process for appointing the Chief Justice. Instead of automatically selecting the senior-most judge, a panel of the five senior-most judges of the Supreme Court will make the appointment. The remaining four judges of the Constitutional Court will be appointed by the government, signaling a shift in the current judicial appointment process.

The amendments also propose changes to Articles 184, 185, and 186, which govern constitutional matters. Additionally, the government plans to consolidate the Judicial Commission and Parliamentary Committee to streamline the appointment process for judges in the Supreme and High Courts.