Parliament Meets on 26th Amendment, PTI Alleges Kidnappings

News Desk 

Islamabad: The 26th Constitutional Amendment remains a significant point of contention in Pakistan’s political landscape, with both houses of Parliament set to hold crucial sessions today (Sunday).

The Senate will meet at 3 pm, followed by the National Assembly at 6 pm. Ahead of these sessions, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over a federal cabinet meeting to approve the draft of the amendment.

A breakthrough in discussions occurred late last night, with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announcing that the government had addressed key reservations regarding the amendment.

Speaking alongside PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, JUI-F chief said that while most concerns were resolved, JUI-F remained cautious about parliamentarians facing external pressure.

He revealed that PTI had requested additional time for consultations with party chairman Imran Khan before finalizing its stance.

Once PTI’s position is confirmed, the bill will be presented to Parliament for debate and approval. Bilawal expressed optimism about a positive response from PTI, which could help move the country forward with the amendment.

However, National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub accused the government of “kidnapping” seven PTI lawmakers in an effort to manipulate the legislative process.

He also claimed that false cases were being filed against PTI members to limit their attendance in Parliament.  Ayub warned that the proposed amendments could lead to “total lawlessness” and criticised the legislative process as illegitimate, calling the current Parliament “fake.”

 He also accused the Supreme Court of enabling this situation and urged continued consultations with JUI-F.