Pakistan's Federal Cabinet to Debut Constitutional Amendments Amid Political Tensions

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convenes a federal cabinet meeting to discuss a controversial constitutional package. The amendments, including a fixed tenure for the Chief Justice, will be presented to the Senate and National Assembly. Political unrest looms as accusations of coercion emerge.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a federal cabinet meeting to be held on Saturday, as reported by ARY News. The one-point agenda meeting is set to review a contentious draft of constitutional amendments at 11am (local time) on Sunday.

Upon the federal cabinet's endorsement, the proposed amendments will be presented to both the Senate and the National Assembly. Among the key changes is a fixed three-year tenure for the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). The government claims to have secured the two-thirds majority needed for these amendments, according to ARY News. Legislators from the treasury benches have been instructed to stay in Islamabad to strategize for the upcoming vote.

In a related incident, Zartaj Gul of Imran Khan's party, PTI, alleged that family members of party member Saadullah Baloch have been abducted to pressure him into supporting the amendments. She also mentioned that Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has been missing for three days, hinting at coercive tactics by the PML-N.

Further complicating matters, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party has decided not to support the government's proposals concerning the judiciary. JUI-F senators have been directed to abstain from voting unless explicitly approved by their leadership.

According to sources, Senator Atta-ur-Rehman has circulated policy directives to his fellow senators, advising them to abstain from voting without specific leadership approval.

(With inputs from agencies.)