27th Amendment: Govt claims to have required numbers

ISLAMABAD: The government sources claimed on Monday to have required 64 votes for passage of the 27th constitutional amendment from the Senate.

The Senate has been in session as the government is expected to table the constitutional amendment bill in the house today.

“There is no issue, we have required number thus going to the Senate,” Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar talking to media said.

The government and its allies have total 61 votes in the Senate. The Chairman Senate would not cast his vote, while PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui has been seriously ill and hospitalized. The government has required 64 votes for passage of the constitutional amendment.

The sources have claimed that the ANP’s three senators would cast their votes in support of the constitutional amendment, while the BNP’s Naseema Ahsan and independent Senator Asad Qasim Ronjho would also back the legislation.

“Thus, the government will achieve the magic number of 64 required for passage of the constitutional amendment from the house,” sources said.

Opposition Rejects Amendment

The Opposition parties have rejected the 27th constitutional amendment in a session of the parliamentary parties.

“We will try utmost today that the amendment could not be passed in the Senate”, Senator Ali Zafar has said.

“We are opposing the legislation since Bilawal Bhutto’s tweet about it and will protest vehemently today,” PTI senator said.

“We are in principle oppose exemption, if someone has commit any crime, he should be punished,” he said.

A session of the opposition’s joint parliamentary parties of the National Assembly and the Senate has been convened at 3:00 PM today.