Opposition alliance vows to block 27th Amendment, calling it a threat to Pakistan’s foundations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar addresses the National Assembly session. Photo: Facebook/Archive
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed the government’s commitment to introducing the 27th Constitutional Amendment, highlighting that the initiative is entirely government-led and “will not be parachuted in from anywhere.”
Clarifying the government’s position on the proposed amendment and addressing questions about its origin, he emphasized that the initiative is entirely government-led. “This amendment belongs to the government, and it is the responsibility of the government to present it,” he said during a Senate session on Tuesday.
“It is not being launched from anywhere; we are discussing it with our allies and will also consult other interested parties, including legal forums. You never know where a pearl of wisdom might come from that could help improve the amendment even further,” he said.
He said the proposed amendment could be introduced first in the Senate instead of the National Assembly, as is the usual practice. “Normally, these matters are presented in the National Assembly, but if they want to see it sooner, I can ask the government to take it to the Senate first. That way, we can review it here and make valuable additions. I am ready for that: there is more professionalism and valuable contributions in this chamber,” he commented.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, Dar said: “The 27th Amendment is coming; there is no question whether it will come or not. We will bring it in accordance with the principles and the law. Members will have every right to give their views, debate it thoroughly, and the amendment will also be referred to the committee. If the committee recommends that it should also be discussed in the other House, we will do so as well. The government has no reservations. This will not be an amendment that is rushed through for some time. Fast vote.”
Read: Shehbaz led PML-N delegation and approached PPP to support 27th Amendment: Bilawal
“I also saw (PPP) president Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s tweet. He is our ally, a politician and president of a major political party; he has every right to express his views. We are following a proper process. Right now, we are sitting with our biggest ally, the PPP, and I have already had at least three rounds of talks with them. The Law Minister has also held several meetings.”
“The areas that Bilawal Sahib has identified are not random. Let me confess that those areas have been discussed in detail. He has not mentioned anything that has not been deliberated with us. We and the PPP have reached an understanding on certain points, and we are now bringing in our other allies,” Dar said.
He added that other coalition partners including Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan, Pakistan National Awami and Balochistan Awami Party would also be taken into confidence. “We will consult with all our allies according to the procedure and only then we will present the final document,” he said.
Dar assured opposition Senator Ali Zafar, saying: “I want to assure Hon Ali Zafar that this process will be completely transparent,” while adding that he assures the House that whatever the process is, it will remain transparent. “As I have said here, we will try to bring the amendment to this House as soon as possible, and then the process will take its due course.”
He also proposed that the amendment be referred to the Legal Committee for detailed deliberation. “The committee brings greater focus and wisdom to the process. I would also request that the Chairman of the Legal Committee, Farooq H Naek, invite members of the legal committee of the other House so that it becomes a joint parliamentary exercise, allowing for full participation and significant value addition,” he said.
Opposition vows to block 27th amendment
The opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan has announced that it will not allow the 27th Constitutional Amendment to be passed, warning that it would have “disastrous consequences” and could “shake the very foundations of the country.” The statement came after an emergency meeting of the alliance, chaired by its president, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, to discuss the prevailing political situation.
At a press conference after the meeting in Islamabad, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the opposition had urgently met in response to recent developments surrounding the proposed amendment. “The Pandora’s box opened by the 27th Amendment is deeply alarming,” Qaiser said, criticizing a recent tweet by Bilawal, which he described as “troubling.”
On Monday, Bilawal tweeted that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called President Asif Ali Zardari and him, seeking PPP’s support to pass Amendment 27. He said the proposal includes; establishment of a constitutional court, executive magistrates, transfer of judges, removal of protection from provincial participation in the NFC, amendment of Article 243, return of education and demographic planning to the federation and breaking the deadlock in the appointment of the ECP.
Qaiser alleged that the PPP was complicit in what he called a “political farce”, claiming that decisions had already been made behind closed doors and that public consultations were simply a farce. Referring to the legacy of the PPP, he said: “There was a PPP under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that laid the foundation of the Constitution, and another under Benazir Bhutto that sacrificed herself for democracy. However, today’s PPP seems bent on burying democracy.”
He also took on PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif during the press conference, questioning the demise of his slogan “Vote ko izzat do” (Respect the vote). “Where is that campaign now?” -Qaiser asked. “What is the value of the power gained by advocating for it? Nawaz Sharif, who once claimed to be the champion of electoral respect, is now silent.”
The PTI leader revealed that the alliance had also shared its recommendations with Imran Khan and would issue a joint statement if a meeting took place. “We will fight for the supremacy of the Constitution and democracy both in Parliament and among the people,” he promised.
Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar strongly condemned the proposed constitutional changes, stating that “a system of coercion has been imposed in the country for some time.” He argued that fundamental constitutional protections for citizens were being systematically undermined.
Criticizing the proposed amendment, he said details about it had come to light through a tweet by Bilawal, warning that these are the kind of measures that, whether intentionally or not, would shake the very foundations of the country.
He argued that if the objective is to establish constitutional courts, there is no need to create new constitutional chambers. “If you want to establish constitutional courts, what was the need to create constitutional courts in the first place? When constitutional courts were formed through the 26th Amendment, they told the entire nation that this would improve the delivery of justice in Pakistan.”
“If justice has not improved, if the people of Pakistan are still deprived of timely justice, why are new constitutional courts being created now? We are hearing that the retirement age of these judges will be fixed at seventy years; this means that an incentive, a temptation is being created for the judges,” he said.
“They are offering rewards to those who toe the government line and punishing those who dare to rule against it. This amendment will turn the judiciary into a system that values obedience over justice,” he added. He also warned against reviving “black laws from the colonial era” that could be used against the judiciary, the media and other institutions.
He also claimed that the Electoral Commission was becoming “a joke”, with new amendments planned for its appointments and several provincial powers returning to the federal level. “I saw some cabinet members crying during the meeting,” he said. “We haven’t learned anything from history.”
Khokhar issued a particularly harsh warning about proposed changes to Article 243, which governs the appointment of the Army Chief. He alleged that the amendment seeks to introduce a new position of Commander-in-Chief, effectively restructuring Pakistan’s civil-military hierarchy.
“This measure would completely alter the country’s infrastructure,” he said. “Are they handing the country over to someone else? What happened to the idea of civil supremacy? This amendment would place civil institutions under the control of the establishment, shaking the foundations of the nation,” he said.
He promised that the opposition alliance would not allow such a move. “We will mobilize the media, civil society and all democratic forces to resist it. This month is critical: we must prevent this illegitimate parliament from taking such a reckless step.”
Former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair also urged Nawaz Sharif to publicly oppose amendments 26 and 27. “I am hopeful that he will reject these proposals and convince his brother to withdraw them,” he said.
