Islamabad, The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, led by Senator Ali Zafar, met today at the Parliament House to deliberate on key issues, including a significant proposed amendment to the Constitution. The meeting recognized notable appointments and discussed the Constitution Amendment Bill 2024.
According to Senate of Pakistan, the committee extended congratulations to Senator Sania Nishtar on her new role as the CEO of GAVI and to Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayyed on being elected Vice President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Human Rights Body. The primary focus of the meeting was the Constitution Amendment Bill 2024, which pertains to Article 51 and was introduced by Senators Kauda Babar, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, Naseebullah Bazai, Sana Jamali, and Danesh Kumar.
The amendment, as outlined by Senator Danesh Kumar, aims to address the imbalance in the representation of non-Muslims in the National Assembly. Currently, non-Muslims have ten reserved seats with the entire country as their constituency, leading to disproportionate representation favoring populous provinces. The proposed amendment seeks to allocate a minimum of one seat to each province, thus ensuring more equitable representation.
After thorough discussions, the committee members unanimously supported the amendment, considering it a step towards fairness and equity. The Committee Chair directed the Law Ministry and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to explore legal avenues for implementing this change and to provide details on previous attempts to amend Article 51.
The meeting saw participation from Senators Kamran Murtaza, Farooq Hamid Naek, Danesh Kumar, Walid Iqbal, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Law, reflecting a collaborative effort in addressing legislative matters.