Pakistan 18th Amendment approved by majority vote

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's national assembly on Thursday unanimously approved reforms stripping President Asif Ali Zardari of key powers in a move to bolster parliamentary democracy weakened by military rule.The historic 18th amendment, which rolls back four decades of infringements by military rulers on Pakistan's 1973 constitution, is expected to sail through the upper house of parliament as early as next week and then pass into law.The package reverses sweeping powers amassed by former military dictators Pervez Musharraf and Zia ul Haq and could ease political instability in the country.All 292 lawmakers present at Thursday's session in the 342-member national assembly voted to approve the 102-clause bill, by filing into a separate lobby attached to the debating chamber. No one voted against.A jubilant Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani declared that parliamentary democracy was now being restored as MPs slammed fists on desks in celebration after shouting “hang Musharraf, hang” when his 1999 coup was declared illegal.“The impossible has been made possible by the house today,” Gilani told lawmakers in a speech that paused briefly for Namaz break.“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 with balance of power between president and prime minister.”Chaudhry Nisar Ali, member of Pakistan Muslim League-N party and opposition leader in the national assembly hailed the “win-win situation”.“Mr Prime Minister, the house has given you vast powers. The nation has put its fate in your hands. Mr Prime Minister, please move forward to resolve the problems of the people. We will support all your steps in this regard,” he said.“We should make a solemn pledge that in the future no politician will support military dictatorship in Pakistan. The country will be run under its constitution and no interference will be acceptable.”The NA session was delayed for over an hour due to poor attendance of participating MNAs whose presence was necessary for the voting on the 18th Amendment bill.