A 32-member joint parliamentary committee has been constituted to review and finalize the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill.Following federal cabinet's approval, the draft of the amendment bill will be presented in the Senate  by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar. After presentation, Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani will refer the bill to the Joint Committee on Law and Justice of Parliament for consideration. 

The committee will be headed by senior parliamentarian Farooq H. Naik, and will include members from both the Senate and the National Assembly representing various political parties. From the Senate, the committee will include Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Senator Abdul Qadir, Senator Syed Ali Zafar, Senator Rubina Naz, Senator Azam Swati, Senator Zameer Ghumro, Senator Khalil Tahir, Senator Talal Chaudhry and Senator Hamid Khan. 

Members from the National Assembly will include Bashir Virk, Gohar Ali Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Umair Khan Niazi, Chengiz Khan, Latif Khosa, Syed Qasim Gilani, Rana Qasim Noon, Dr. Nafisa Shah, Syed Abrar Ali Shah, Naveed Qamar, Hassan Sabir, Syed Hafeezuddin, Kiran Haider, Alia Kamran, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Saira Tarar, Mahjabeen Abbasi and Shumaila Rana.Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar will also serve as a member of the committee.

According to parliamentary sources, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has boycotted all parliamentary committees, including this one. However, the committee reserves the authority to invite members of the National Assembly on special invitations for consultations or expert input. The joint committee will examine the draft of the 27th Amendment Bill clause by clause before forwarding its recommendations for final approval by both houses of Parliament.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)