Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024

26th Amendment

Despite of all the political turmoil and uncertainty, government managed to approved  the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 in Pakistan, also known as the 26th
Amendment Bill, introduces several significant changes to the country’s judicial and executive frameworks. Here are some key highlights:

1. Chief Justice Tenure: The tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) is capped at three years.
2. Judicial Appointments: A new parliamentary committee will nominate the CJP from a panel of the three most senior judges. The Prime Minister will forward this nomination to the President for final approval.
3. Constitutional Benches: Constitutional benches will be established at the Supreme Court and high courts, with the senior-most judge of each bench serving as the presiding officer.
4. Judicial Commission: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) will be responsible for appointing Supreme Court judges and monitoring their performance.
5. Right to a Clean Environment: A new Article 9A is introduced, granting every citizen the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
6. Elimination of Riba: The government mandates the complete eradication of riba (interest) by January 1, 2028.
7. Judicial Independence: Amendments to Articles 48 and 175A ensure that no court or tribunal can challenge the advice given to the President by the Cabinet or Prime Minister.
8. Election Funding: Amendment to Article 81 includes provisions for the allocation of funds to organize and conduct elections for the National Assembly, Senate, Provincial Assemblies, and local governments.
9. Judicial Performance Evaluation: The Judicial Commission will conduct annual performance evaluations of High Court Judges. In cases of unsatisfactory performance, judges will have a chance to improve; if they fail to do so, the Judicial Commission will refer the matter to the Supreme Judicial Council.

These changes aim to enhance judicial independence, transparency, and accountability, as well as to promote environmental sustainability and an interest-free economic system.

Allegations of Political Maneuvering

The government managed the number game for the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 through a combination of strategic alliances and parliamentary maneuvers. Here’s how
they did it:

1. Coalition Support: The government secured the support of its coalition partners, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF). This broad coalition was crucial in ensuring a majority vote.
2. Late Night Session: The National Assembly held its session late at night, starting at 11:36 PM and extending past midnight. This timing helped minimize opposition presence and maximize the attendance of supportive lawmakers.
3. Opposition Walkout: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a walkout during the voting process, which reduced the number of opposing votes and facilitated the smooth passage of the bill.
4. Strategic Voting: The government ensured that all its members were present and voting. The officials rang the bells to call absent members back to the chamber, and they tightly controlled the voting process to ensure maximum participation from supportive lawmakers.
5. Parliamentary Maneuvers: The government used parliamentary rules to its advantage, such as locking the entrances to the lobbies during the voting process to prevent any last-minute disruptions
6. Illegal Abductions: Opposition parties mainly Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) put allegations of illegal abductions of their parliamentary members and senators to enforce them to vote in favour of the bill.
7. Horse Trading: Opposition parties put allegations on government of horse trading i.e buying the members of opposition to vote in favour of the bill ranges up to 80 crores PKR.

These strategies helped the government secure the necessary two thirds majority to pass the bill, reflecting the ruling coalition’s consolidated support in the absence of dissenting voices.

Effects of Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024

1. Judicial Reforms: The fixed tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the establishment of constitutional benches are expected to enhance judicial independence and efficiency. This could lead to more timely and fair judicial decisions.
2. Environmental Rights: The introduction of Article 9A, granting every citizen the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, is likely to lead to stronger environmental policies and actions.
3. Eradication of Riba: The complete elimination of riba (interest) by January 1, 2028, will require significant economic reforms and could impact the financial sector and banking practices.
4. Election Funding: Provisions for the allocation of funds for elections could lead to more transparent and well-organized electoral processes.
5. Judicial Performance Evaluation: The Judicial Commission expects that conducting annual performance evaluations of High Court Judges will improve accountability and address inefficiencies in the judiciary.
6. Political Stability: The consensus and cooperation seen during the passage of the bill may lead to greater political stability and unity among different political factions.
7. Surrender of Judiciary Rights: The bill reduces or limits the judiciary’s right to take suo-moto action, a power previously granted to the CJP in the Practice and Procedure Bill.

Overall, the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 aims to strengthen governance, accountability, and environmental sustainability in Pakistan.

Criticism

The Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 has faced criticism from various quarters, primarily due to concerns over its potential impact on judicial independence and the broader political landscape. Here are some key points of criticism:

1. Judicial Independence: Critics argue that the fixed three-year tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) could undermine judicial independence by making the
   CJP more susceptible to political pressures.
2. Parliamentary Committee Influence: Many view the introduction of a parliamentary committee to nominate the CJP from a panel of the three most senior judges as a move that could politicize judicial appointments.
3. Performance Evaluations: The annual performance evaluations of High Court Judges by the Judicial Commission have raised concerns about potential biases and the criteria used for these evaluations.
4. Elimination of Riba: Critics argue that the mandate to completely eliminate riba (interest) by January 1, 2028, is economically unfeasible and could potentially disrupt the financial sector.
5. Opposition Walkout: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a walkout during the voting on the amendment bill, calling it an attempt to suppress the judiciary.
6. Political Appointments: The bill more aimed to appoint politically compromised Jewry members in judiciary which may not work freely and may work under the influence of sitting government.
7. Changing the Seniority: The clause of changing the term of CJP and age of retirement will cause in distorting the seniority of the Supreme Courts and High Courts.

These criticisms reflect broader concerns about the balance of power and the potential for political interference in the judiciary and other institutions.

Challenging of the Bill

The opposition, particularly the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),aims to challenge the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 for several reasons:

1. Judicial Independence: The PTI argues that the fixed three-year tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) could undermine judicial independence by making
   the CJP more susceptible to political pressures.
2. Parliamentary Committee Influence: Many see the introduction of a parliamentary committee to nominate the CJP from a panel of the three most senior judges as a move that could politicize judicial appointments.
3. Performance Evaluations: The annual performance evaluations of High Court Judges by the Judicial Commission have raised concerns about potential biases and the criteria used for these evaluations.
4. Political Pressure: The PTI has alleged that the government attempted to enact the amendment under duress, including claims of mistreatment of PTI lawmakers and attempts to pressure them into supporting the bill.

These concerns reflect broader worries about the balance of power and the potential for political interference in the judiciary and other institutions.