The National Assembly on Wednesday approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment bill with an overwhelming two-thirds majority amid a noisy protest by the opposition.

A total of 234 members voted in favour of the amendment, while four voted against it.

Presided over by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the House completed the clause-by-clause approval of all 59 clauses of the amendment.

The final stage of voting was conducted under the Division of House procedure, with separate lobbies designated for supporters and opponents of the bill.

After the voting, members returned to the House, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the assembly members on the passage of the key legislation.

Earlier, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar moved the 27th Amendment bill in the House, which received 231 votes in favour and four against.

During the clause-by-clause approval process, the opposition staged a walkout.

The law minister introduced eight new clauses to the amendment bill.

All 59 clauses were approved with a two-thirds majority.

Following National Assembly approval, the bill will now be sent to the Senate for approval.

Speaking after the vote, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that ambiguity around the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been removed.

Pointing out that amendments should be made after thorough consultations, he stated that all parties supported the amendment.

The law minister noted that the joint parliamentary committee had carefully reviewed the draft before tabling it in the Senate.

Tarar added that all stakeholders had been consulted on the amendment, confirming that Justice Yahya Afridi would serve as Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar attended the assembly session.

Upon arrival at Parliament House, the prime minister and federal ministers accorded Nawaz Sharif a warm welcome.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also attended the session, while senior PPP leader Khurshid Shah was brought into the House in a wheelchair due to illness; he has been receiving treatment at a hospital.