Parliament now sovereign, says Gilani after statute amendment (Lead)
April 9th, 2010 - 12:12 am ICT by IANS
Islamabad, April 8 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said parliament is “now sovereign” after the sweeping constitutional reforms approved by the National Assembly Thursday.
“The impossible has been made possible by the house today,” he told lawmakers after they voted unanimously in favour of the 18th Constitution amendment.
“We will now be answerable to both the National Assembly and the Senate,” he said, Geo TV reported.
“We have been saying we will go to the Westminster-style parliamentary system… Today we removed the anomalies. We are giving you a parliamentary form of government,” he added.
The prime minister said more amendments would be brought if need arose, Geo TV report said.
“The unanimous passage of the 18th Amendment proves parliament is not rubber stump,” he said.
The National Assembly or the lower house of parliament, Thursday abolished the president’s special powers, including the right to dissolve parliament, after it unanimously approved the termination of the 17th Amendment to the constitution.
Last week, the political parties had approved the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms.
The 17th Amendment to the constitution, introduced by former president Pervez Musharraf, gave the president sweeping powers, including power to dissolve the national and provincial assemblies.
On Thursday, the National Assembly also decided to rename the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) as Khyber-Pakhtoonkhaw.
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