Numerous changes made to 26th Constitutional Amendment on request of Maulana Fazlur Rehman?

ISLAMABAD: The details of the 26th constitutional amendment were revealed following widespread speculation.

On Monday, Sources report that significant changes were made to the original draft, with numerous amendments introduced at the request of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “An agreement on key points was reached between the government and the JUI-F chief, with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari playing a mediating role,” sources said.

The proposal to amend Articles 51 and 200 regarding military courts was withdrawn based on Rehman’s demands. Additionally, a suggestion to raise the retirement age of judges to 68 years was also scrapped.

Both sides agreed to establish a constitutional court, which will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. According to sources, the President will appoint the first head of this court on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Subsequent judges will be selected from the five high courts, based on merit and eligibility. The constitutional court will consist of five to seven judges and will handle cases related to constitutional issues.

Agreement was also reached on amending Article 63-A, with the inclusion of floor-crossing votes. Furthermore, both parties agreed to repeal the 19th Amendment to restore the 18th Constitutional Amendment to its original form.

The judicial commission and the parliamentary committee responsible for appointing judges will also be merged. The role of the Election Commission in selecting the caretaker Prime Minister will be abolished, with a 12-member parliamentary committee, evenly split between government and opposition members, taking over the responsibility.

In case of a deadlock, the judicial commission will intervene to appoint the caretaker PM.

Additionally, the Chief Election Commissioner will be appointed by the judicial commission, and the Prime Minister and opposition leader will no longer have this responsibility.

A five-judge panel will be formed to appoint the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, with the parliamentary committee making the final decision.

No changes will be made to the rotation of high court judges. The draft of the 26th constitutional amendment has only been shared with Bilawal Bhutto and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, with an agreement to avoid rushing its passage.

Any unresolved matters will be excluded from the final draft, which is expected to be completed next week, sources said.