Zardari, Shehbaz discuss amendments

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a meeting and discussed the proposed constitutional amendments.

Talking informally to journalists after the meeting, Chairman Special Committee Khursheed Shah said there was a consensus on the constitutional amendment between PMLN, JUIF and MQM and a complete consensus would be reached in a day or two. He said there was no major obstacle in finalising the draft and there were many things in the draft to make parliament stronger.

Khursheed Shah said the PTI did not present its proposals in the committee meeting despite being repeatedly asked to do so. He said the PTI constitutional committee members were helpless and Barrister Gohar Khan and Omar Ayub Khan did not have the mandate. He said politicians should meet each other. In a reply to a question with regard to the complaints of PTI of abduction of their members, Khursheed said, “We have noted the concerns of Omar Ayub and the matter has been placed before the National assembly speaker, who is looking into it seriously.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahbaz hosted a luncheon in the honor of senators of the government and coalition parties at the Parliament House. At the lunch, the members of the Senate were taken into confidence about the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment. The prime minister congratulated all the leaders on the successful holding of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Pakistan. Addressing the luncheon, he said the successful holding of SCO meeting is a great success for Pakistan in the diplomatic field. With the successful holding of this meeting, Pakistan’s diplomatic profile has further strengthened at the international level. He specifically mentioned the crucial role of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in making the event successful.Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and senators from the government and coalition parties participated in the event.

After the lunch, PMLN parliamentary leader Irfan Siddiqui said the constitutional amendment would be brought in the Senate on Friday (today).

He said the prime minister briefed the members about the discussions with the leadership regarding the constitutional amendment. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar gave a briefing on the draft of the constitutional amendments.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to work wholeheartedly for the promotion of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)’s development priorities for the benefit of all its member states and the wider region. The prime minister met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming on the sidelines of the 23rd meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) and stressed that Pakistan stood ready to work with organisation’s member states to make it more effective and stronger. Ming felicitated the prime minister on the successful organisation of the SCO CHG meeting and its positive outcome.Separately, in a meeting between PM Shehbaz and his Mongolian counterpart Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene here on the sidelines of SCO CHG meeting, Pakistan and Mongolia agreed to form a Joint Ministerial Commission to enhance cooperation in trade, tourism, agriculture and mining sectors and an inter-parliamentary union to expand the bilateral parliamentary ties.

Shehbaz offered the Mongolian side to send civil servants to training institutions in Pakistan and also proposed to declare 2025 as the year of Pakistan-Mongolia Friendship to bolster the ties between the two countries. The Mongolian prime minister also planted a sapling in the lawn of the PM House.