ISLAMABAD: The Senate approved the 18th Amendment to the country's constitution on Thursday, allowing the North West Frontier Province to be officially renamed as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that education and health were the government's top priorities in the 18th Amendment bill.

Gilani said that he believed this was the first time in the country's history that the president, the prime minister, both houses of the parliament and even the opposition, were on the same page.

Gilani added that on this occasion, the army was also supporting the current democratic regime. Speaking to the upper house of the parliament, he said that the whole nation is proud of the Senate for approving the 18th Amendment.

Earlier, the Senate had approved a number of clauses in the 18th Amendment.

These included a provision to revoke article 58-2(B) from the Constitution, lifting the restriction on the prime minister's third term and the forming of a judicial commission which would appoint judges to the superior judiciary.

Many believe that the Senate has also crossed a major milestone by removing the name of former military ruler, General Zia-ul-Haq, from the constitution.