Minister for religious affairs Raja Zafarul Haque has prepared a report on the basis of proposals collected from party MPs and will be discussing the issue with the prime minister to give the bill a final shape, media reports said.

``Constitutional experts will be consulted and the proposals will be discussed with them before putting the bill before the national assembly for getting it passed,'' a senior official was quoted as saying by the Nation daily yesterday.

Interestingly, the 15th amendment bill for this purpose had already been introduced in the national assembly, the lower house, on August 28 immediately after Sharif announced in his nationally televised address that he would amend the constitution to make the Quran and Sunnah (sayings ofthe Prophet) the supreme law of Pakistan.

The government painted itself into a corner as Sharif failed to take his party members into confidence while drafting the bill.

There was a virtual mini-revolt by a section of ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) legislators when they were ``informed'' about the bill at a parliamentary party meeting just before the national assembly session and asked to support it.

Leading opposition parties have already rejected the bill terming it an attempt to concentrate all power in the hands of the prime minister in the name of Islam.