Constitutional amendments
CONSTITUTIONAL office holders, including superior court judges and legislators, swear an oath when assuming office. The oath requires them to act in accordance with the Constitution. Does this mean they…
Constitutional amendments
IT is not a cliché but constitutions are, in fact, the glue that normally hold a country and its peoples bounded to oneness. As such a life-giving source to statehood,…
Constitutional amendments: Part – V
In 1993, Benazir Bhutto assumed office after winning elections under a caretaker government. She appointed Farooq Leghari as the new president of Pakistan, expecting to complete her five year term;…
Constitutional amendments: Part IV
After General Ziaul Haq managed to arm twist the National Assembly in 1985 to pass the devastating 8th Amendment, he announced the withdrawal of martial law in December. Now the…
Constitutional amendments: Part – III
The sixth constitutional amendment – passed in December 1976 – made a mockery of the constitution. It allowed the chief justice of the Supreme Court and high courts to complete…
Constitutional amendments – Part II
In 1975, with the National Awami Party (NAP) banned and all its properties and funds forfeited, the consequences of the early constitutional amendments came to the fore. While drafting the…
Constitutional amendments – Part I
This year, Pakistan is marking 50 years of the 1973 constitution that has experienced many mutilations at the hands of both civil and military rulers. Having remained in abeyance a…
Constitutional amendments
The Special Committee on Constitutional Reform is currently deliberating on the nature of constitutional amendments to be introduced through the 18th Amendment. Achieving balance of power should be an important…
Constitutional amendments
An all-party parliamentary committee commences deliberations in August 2009 on how to remove the negative parts of the 17th Amendment, retain the positive sections, implement elements of the Charter of…
Constitutional amendments
The democratic credentials of a government are judged not only by its ability to function within the constitutional framework but also, and more importantly, by the importance it attaches to…
