Amendment to Article 51: Senate body directs two ministries to provide details of efforts

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice directed the Law Ministry and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to find a way forward and also provide details of previous efforts to amend Article 51 of the Constitution.

The committee met with Ali Zafar in the chair here on Wednesday, where extensive discussions were held regarding the Constitution Amendment Bill 2024 (Amendment of Article 51) introduced by senators, Kauda Babar, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, Naseebullah Bazai, Sana Jamali, and Danesh Kumar in the Senate sitting on January 1st, 2024.

Senator Kumar emphasised that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan designates 10 reserved seats for non-Muslims in the National Assembly, with the entire country as the constituency. This unrestricted geographical allocation allows political parties to nominate candidates freely, resulting in disproportionate representation favouring populous provinces. The proposed amendment seeks to rectify this by ensuring a minimum of one seat is allocated to each province, addressing the existing disparity.

Following thorough discussions, committee members, unanimously, supported the amendment, deeming it fair and equitable.

In response to legal concerns raised by Senator Kamran Murtaza on the matter, the committee chair directed the Law Ministry and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to find a way forward and also provide details of previous efforts to amend Article 51 of the Constitution.

The committee commenced by extending congratulations to Senator Sania Nishtar for her appointment as the CEO of GAVI. Additionally, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayyed was acknowledged and congratulated on his election as the vice president of IPU’s Human Rights Body.

The committee meeting was attended by senators, Kamran Murtaza, Farooq Hamid Naek, Danesh Kumar, Walid Iqbal, and the secretary of the Ministry of Law.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024