Opposition launches protest over 27th Amendment

The opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain-e-Pakistan announced a nationwide protest movement against the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, declaring that it would not allow Parliament to function until the amendment is withdrawn.

At a joint press conference in Islamabad, the designated leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, declared the amendment an attack on the Constitution and called it Pakistan’s own 9/11. “On a public holiday, an attack was launched on the Constitution, an attack on the very foundations of Pakistan. This is our own 9/11.”

He claimed that “a group of illegitimate rulers have seized power in Pakistan without elections.” “We are patriots who love this country. I have sworn five times to defend the Constitution,” he said, adding that “false propaganda is being spread and the public is being deceived.”

Read: Senate session begins to discuss 27th constitutional

Achakzai, who is also president of the alliance, announced that the protest movement would begin immediately. “Our movement starts today. Empowering people will not save Pakistan. We warn everyone: this is an attack on the very foundations of the country,” he said.

He said the alliance would block parliamentary proceedings and mobilize the public. “Parliament will cease to function,” he said. “If the schoolchildren come out to defend their rights, will they open fire on them?… Tonight, at 8:30 pm, we begin our slogans.” He added that the motto will be: “Aisay Dastoor Ko Hum Nahin Maante” (We do not accept this constitution).

At the same press conference, Allama Nasir Abbas and other alliance leaders joined in announcing the campaign, which will include a National Consultative Conference in Islamabad this week.

“The judicial system is being dismantled,” Achakzai said, adding that delegations would meet with representatives of bar associations and retired judges. “We will invite business associations and representatives from all sectors. We urge all public opinion makers to share their views.”

Abbas, who is also the movement’s vice president and head of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, described the amendment as “an attack on the Constitution” and urged citizens to mobilize. He said the protest movement would begin tonight at 8:30 pm across the country.

Read also: The president cannot be arrested, in any case prosecuted for life; a new clause is added at the request of the PPP

He alleged that the country’s mandate was “stolen on February 8,” claiming that the judiciary and certain institutions facilitated electoral manipulation through Form 47. “They snatched the mandate from the PTI and handed over the government to those who only had 17 seats,” he said. “Now, they are trying to grant immunity to certain individuals, allowing them to commit oppression, tyranny and even murder without being held accountable for life.”

Abbas also criticized the proposed restructuring of the military command, particularly the abolition of the Chairman’s Committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He claimed that the amendment would give the Army Chief control over all three services, and warned that such a concentration of power would “destroy the institutional balance within Pakistan’s defense structure”.

Recalling the 2019 Balakot episode, he said, “When India attacked, the then army chief recommended restraint, but the air chief insisted on responding, and we did. Imagine the consequences if all the power is concentrated in one person. Without checks and balances, even humans become pharaohs.”

He warned that the amendment would send a damaging message within the defense establishment. “They are about to destroy the very forces responsible for defending Pakistan’s borders. What message are they sending to the Navy and Air Force by placing them under the control of ground forces?” asked.

Read: PML-N withdraws immunity clause after PM Shehbaz’s directive

Meanwhile, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, vice president of the alliance, said the current Parliament lacks credibility. “The way this Parliament emerged after the February 8 elections and the way election petitions were dismissed, followed by constitutional changes to prevent their hearing, are before the nation,” he said.

He claimed that the 26th Amendment was passed “in secret,” claiming that “99 percent of the members were unaware of its contents,” and said the Supreme Court’s decisions on reserved seats allowed the government to secure a majority.

Khokhar announced that a National Consultative Conference will be held in Islamabad this week to shape a unified strategy. He said that the day after the “fraudulent passage” of the 27th Amendment there would be a National Day of Mourning, with citizens wearing black armbands and lawyers dressed in black protesting in court.

Outlining the movement’s next steps, Khokhar said academics, retired judges and intellectuals would be invited to voice their concerns; This would be followed by nationwide demonstrations, rallies and meetings; and a Public Outreach Committee would be formed to involve civil society, the media and the business community. Articles would also be written for national and international media and coordination would be established with bar associations and bar associations.

Concluding, Khokhar said: “This Constitution is no longer the consensus document of 1973; it has become an insurance policy for the continuity and protection of power in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Landhi. The people of Pakistan must now decide whether to reclaim their Constitution or hand it over to those who have distorted it.”

In a subsequent statement, the alliance announced that a nationwide “Black Day” would be celebrated the day after what it called the “fraudulent passage” of the amendment. Citizens will be urged to wear black armbands, while lawyers will wear black ribbons in court