The constitution of Pakistan, the supreme law of Pakistan, was promulgated on 14th August, 1973, and since then, 26 amendments have been made up till now. In Pakistan, amendments to the constitution can be made in the following manner: –
- Constitutional Amendment Bill can originate in either House.
- Each Parliamentary House has to pass the Bill with a two-thirds majority of the total membership of that House.
- If the 2nd House passes the Bill with amendments it is referred back to the House in which it originated and if that House agrees to those amendments with two-thirds majority it is sent to the President for assent. If the 2nd House does not agree to the Bill or the amendments the matter ends there. It is suffice to say that the constitutional amendment process of Pakistan is tardy,
but not a tough one.
18TH AMENDMENT
The 18th amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan holds great importance, It was passed on
8th April 2010, wherein: –
“the power of the President of Pakistan to dissolve the Parliament unilaterally was removed,
which turned Pakistan from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary republic, and renaming
North-West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It also gave Self-governing, legislative,
and financial autonomy to the Provinces.”
DEBATE
People debate whether this amendment made the Constitution of Pakistan stronger or weaker…
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS
In my humble opinion, the amendment has made the constitution stronger, as it has brought a change in many aspects of life, for example; the right to a fair trial, the right to form associations and unions, right of information, the right to education, etc. Such amendments have given more rights and power to a common resident of Pakistan. With more powers, a common person can easily run the social affairs of life. Life has not just gotten easier for a common person, but also for the representative of the government, as now the President would be less liable to solely run the affairs, the powers of running the affairs and for making strong decisions have been delegated between President and Prime Minister. Taking away the major powers from the President is also, a positive sign, as this country is an Islamic Republic, and only Allah is the sole sovereign, not any person. The Federal powers have been lessened and delegated, while the provincial powers have been promoted, so that the provinces could better handle the social-affairs, and deal with them accordingly.
To make the Parliamentary House stronger, the qualifications for a member have been upgraded, so that the right person could raise the voice of the people of his/her constituency. Moreover, with Article 6, no person could set aside the constitution, and if he/she ever does so, then he/she will be accused of High Treason.
CONCLUSION
The 18th Amendment is the need of the hour, as it has made our constitution stronger, and the
future of Pakistan has changed ever since then.
