ISLAMABAD: The Special Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms on Thursday proposed clipping off the president’s powers to make appointments and remove the prime minister.
The committee favoured restoration of the prime minister’s powers as the chief executive laid down in the 1973 Constitution.
The committee revisited articles 91 and 92 of the Constitution regarding the president’s powers to appoint a prime minister and cabinet members.
The committee has held 29 meetings since it formation in April and completed the review of Article 90 pertaining to the executive authority of the office of president.
President Asif Ali Zardari has already expressed willingness to surrender the powers he had inherited under the 17th Amendment introduced by former president Pervez Musharraf.
The committee also proposed repeal of three of the eight clauses of Article 91 and revival of the Constitution in its 1973 position.
The document, before amendments, provided for the ascertainment of the prime minister by a simple majority in the National Assembly.
Some members proposed an upper limit for the cabinet in order to keep its size at a reasonable level.
According to sources, the proposal was not carried as an amendment to the relevant article. The Pakhtunkhwah Milli Awami Party suggested that it should be made mandatory for the prime minister to take a vote of confidence from the Senate.
Most members proposed to make the cabinet collectively responsible to both houses of parliament. At present the cabinet was only responsible to the National Assembly.
They also suggested the removal of clause 5 of Article 91 which provided that ‘the prime minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the president’.
Clause 4 of the article states: ‘The cabinet, together with the ministers of state, shall be collectively responsible to the National Assembly.’
The sources said the committee was unanimous on retaining all four clauses of Article 92 relating to the appointment of ministers and ministers of state and ministers’ oath and procedure of their removal.
The committee’s chairman, Senator Raza Rabbani, refused to divulge details about the proceedings. He, however, hinted at early convening of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security to discuss the new US strategy on Afghanistan.
Rabbani also presided over a meeting of the special cabinet committee on Balochistan to review implementation of the package unveiled last week.
Source: dawn.com/
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