Pakistan's NA unanimously passes 18th Amend Bill

SLAMABAD: The passage of the 18th Amendment Bill in the National Assembly has established the sovereignty of parliament, as “the impossible has been made possible by the House”, said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday. Addressing the House from the floor of the National Assembly amid applause over the unanimous passage of the bill, Gilani said the system of parliamentary democracy was being restored to strengthen democracy in the country. “The impossible has been made possible by the House ... today we removed the anomalies. We are giving you a parliamentary form of government.” He said the unanimous passage of the bill had proven parliament was sovereign rather than rubberstamp. He congratulated the president, the chairman of the reforms committee and the nation for the passage of the bill. Gilani said a balance of power had been struck between the office of president and parliament. He also hoped for the policy of consensus to continue.