Panel report on 26th amendment tabled in NA

Committee on law, justice recommends tweaks in articles 63, 59 and 226 of Constitution

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly on Friday received a report from its standing committee on law and justice on the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, aimed at allowing open balloting in the Senate polls and allowing dual nationality holders to contest the elections.

The report, containing notes of dissent from Alia Kamran of the Jamiat-Ulem-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Usman Ibrahim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was tabled by the committee chairman Riaz Fatyana.

The 26th Amendment recommended amendments to Paragraph 1C of the Article 63 of the Constitution, and Clause 2 of the Article 59 and Article 226. However, the two opposition lawmakers opposed the amendments.

The proposed bill seeks to amend Article 63 to make the dual nationals eligible to contest elections, while the in the Article 226, Open balloting in the Senate elections will be added. Similarly, Article 59, Clause 2 change proposes election of the Senate members only by open ballot.

Committee members Alia Kamran wrote in her note of dissent that amendments to Article 59 and Article 226 should be discussed among the political parties first. She termed the amendment to Article 63 “a joke”.

Usman Ibrahim said in his note it would invalidate the oath given by the a candidate in the nomination papers. He added that eligibility of a candidate should be determined during the election process and after the election. Therefore, he opposed the amendments to articles 59 and 226.