Islamabad: An important meeting of the House Business Advisory Committee was held in the National Assembly today under the chairmanship of the Speaker, however, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders did not attend the meeting.
According to sources, it was decided in the meeting that the action on the 27th Constitutional Amendment will be initiated from the Senate, from where the bill will be presented in the National Assembly after approval.
According to parliamentary sources, the government has the clear support of 237 members in the National Assembly, while 224 votes are required for a constitutional amendment.
In the house, 125 members of the PML-N, 74 of the PPP, 22 of the MQM, 5 of the PML-Q, and 4 of the IPP are part of the government coalition.
Similarly, one member each of the Zia League, National Party, BAP Party and four independent members are also with the government, while the total number of opposition members is 89.
The situation is slightly different in the Senate, where the ruling coalition has 61 members while the opposition has 35.
According to experts, the government will need the support of three members of the JUI or ANP in the Senate to get the constitutional amendment passed, in order to achieve a two-thirds majority (64 votes).
Political observers say that if the government manages to maintain the required support, the approval of the 27th Constitutional Amendment is now just a matter of time.
