Constitutional amendment: PM Shehbaz to host luncheon for coalition parties

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif invited lawmakers of all coalition parties for a lunch on Thursday ahead of the National Assembly in which the 26th constitutional amendment is likely to be presented.

According to sources, the meeting will take place at Parliament House at 2 pm. All lawmakers of coalition parties in the centre have been issued invitations.

Meanwhile, the special committee meeting of the Parliament on the constitutional amendments has been rescheduled. The special committee meeting was initially called at 12:30 pm but now it will be held at 11:30am on Thursday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) successfully reached an agreement on constitutional amendments following their meeting in Karachi

This was disclosed by JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while addressing a joint presser in Karachi.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that his party and PPP agreed on the draft of constitutional amendments, hailing Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the consensus.

The JUI-F chief however rejected the government’s initial proposed constitutional amendments, terming them unacceptable. He stressed the need for non-controversial constitutional amendments, saying that the nation, constitution, and parliament require a united voice.

Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be meeting with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday.

He said that the PML-N will also be invited to support the draft finalised by the JUI-F and PPP.

“We will try to include PML-N in this consensus,” Bhutto Zardari said, emphasising that the agreement between PPP and JUI-F will serve as the foundation for future negotiations.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the goal is to resolve public issues, rather than focusing on individual interests or timing.