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Summary
A parliamentary committee agreed on a constitutional amendment. The amendment package would now be presented in the Parliament. All 27-members of the committee, representing all the political groups having their representation in the two houses of the Parliament, put their signatures on the constitutional packages draft in a ceremony held at the Committee Room of the Parliament House.The 18th amendment strips the president of powers inherited from the country's former military ruler, fulfilling a long-standing opposition demand.Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was the first to sign the draft followed by Naveed Qamar. Besides, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Ishaq Dar, Babar Awan, Lashkari Raisani, Wasim Sajjad and others also singed the draft. Raza Rabbani thanked all the members of the committee and said the nations interest is kept first after setting aside partys interest.Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, after singing the draft, said there are nearly 100 clauses in the draft amendment.The draft amendment transfers a variety of powers, including the ability to fire an elected government and appoint military chiefs, from the office of the president to the prime minister.
