ISLAMABAD: There were no takers in the National Assembly on Tuesday for a private constitution amendment bill seeking to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67 years from 65.

The bill, widely seen as linked to the retirement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Dec 11, was sought to be introduced by Jamshed Ahmad Dasti, a volatile independent house member from south Punjab and a former PPP turncoat.

On an objection raised by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, the house refused to grant Mr Dasti leave to introduce the bill and Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq even disallowed the member to explain the objects of the draft.

Mr Dasti was spared possible disqualification as member of the previous National Assembly on the allegation of possessing a fake academic degree as a court bench allowed him to resign from his seat and contest for it again, which he did successfully.

His bill had no chance of materialising or benefiting the chief justice because an amendment to the constitution needs for its passage support of two-thirds majorities of the total membership in both the 342-seat National Assembly and the 104-seat Senate.—Raja Asghar