Pakistan’s parliament Thursday April 08 voted to cut the powers of President Zardari. The 18th amendment, as it is called received overwhelming support from all the parties but the provision that seeks to delete mandatory internal elections in political parties came in from a section of the opposition, PML (N) and they voted against the provision defying the leadership of their party.
The Article 17(4) was incorporated in the Constitution by former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, makes it mandatory for political parties to hold regular internal elections.
Highlights of the reform
• The President will have no authority to dissolve the National Assembly and impose emergency rule on his own.
• Courts will no longer be able to validate suspension of the Constitution.
• The PM and his ministers will exercise executive authority instead of the President.
• CMs will be the executive power in provinces.
• The power to appoint judges will be given to a seven-member Judicial Commission headed by the CJ of the Supreme Court.
• The President will no longer appoint the Chief Election Commissioner. Instead, a parliamentary committee will select one of three people nominated by the Prime Minister.
• After the end of a government’s term, the Prez will be bound to appoint a caretaker PM in consultations with the outgoing PM and opposition leader. The same procedure will be followed by governors in provinces.
• Elections of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers will no longer be conducted by secret ballot.
• President cannot impose emergency rule in a province unilaterally, but instead will require a resolution from the provincial assembly. In other cases, he shall seek approval from both houses of Parliament within 10 days of his unilateral action.
• The President will continue to appoint the heads of the armed forces but only with a binding recommendation from the Prime Minister.
• The name of NWFP will be changed to “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa”.
• The two-term limit on prime ministers will be lifted.
• The LFO will be repealed.
• Islamabad High Court will be established.
•Gen Ziaul Haq’s name will be removed from the Constitution but the Islamic Provisions he had introduced remain untouched
