Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said with the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, the parliament has emerged supreme and the time when elected governments were sent packing has gone.Soon National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced the result of counting of votes held in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the parliamentarians and said the passage of the bill is a splendid example of unity.“The country faced billions of rupees loss when elected governments were sent home for nothing.“The era of sending governments home on Panama or Aqama pretexts has come to an end. I am thankful to our allies.“Bilawal and Maulana Fazlur Rehman made efforts sincerely for creating consensus on the bill. The voting was on merit.“I wished that PTI should take part in the process, unfortunately it did not happen,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.The Constitutional Amendment Bill will strengthen democracy and ensure rule of law and provide people with justice in a short time, he said.The National Assembly on Sunday night passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment Bill, with 225 votes in its favour amid PTI parliamentarians who walked out in protest against the bill.Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar with the permission of NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq tabled the bill in the National Assembly.The coalition government required 224 votes for the passage of the bill in the assembly. It bagged 225 votes for the approval of the amendment bill.Earlier, Senate passed the bill with 65 members voting in favour of the amendment, while four members opposed it.In National Assembly, 213 out of 215 members of the ruling coalition voted for the bill, whereas Adil Bazai of the allied government did not cast his vote. NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq also did not use his vote.The government required 224 votes for the approval of the bill. JUI-F all eight members voted for the draft. Four members of PTI also voted the bill in the assembly. President Asif Ali Zardari will sign the bill at Presidential House.
