ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday denied the impression that the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment was coming from ‘somewhere else’, insisting that it was being brought by the government, not through a parachute.
He told the Senate that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) have reached a point of agreement, and now other government allies, including MQM, ANP, IPP and BAP, would be brought on board. He was responding to the concerns raised by the opposition on the opening sitting of the 255th session. He held out an assurance to the House that the amendment would not be rushed through but will be taken up in accordance with the laid down procedure. “We will try to present it in accordance with the Constitution. I assure this will not be put to voting in a flash.”
The deputy premier, who is also the Leader of the House in the Senate, expressed these views while responding to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader Barrister Syed Ali Zafar. Dar pointed out that usually such amendments are initiated from the National Assembly, but if the senators were keen to see the draft, he can request the amendment bill to be moved in the Senate first and let the committee have deliberations over it.
He urged the Senate standing committee to also invite the relevant members of the National Assembly’s standing committee to sit and discuss the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. “We will also discuss this with partners and lawyers’ fora. You will make speeches on the 27th Amendment and give your opinion. The matter will be taken to the committee as well,” he maintained. He supported the opposition’s demand for appointment of the leader of the opposition but said the Senate chairman under the rules was supposed to satisfy himself as to who commands majority in the House.
Earlier, the opposition staged a protest over delay in the appointment of leader of the opposition in the House. PTI’s Ali Zafar earlier termed the 27th amendment as a conspiracy against the Constitution.
He pointed out that some key ministers during talk shows, to which he was also invited, had been making claims that neither the 27th Amendment was on the cards nor there was any need for it. “This only means either they were telling lie or were unaware of it. In both cases, it means that someone else is drafting the 27th Amendment for them,” he charged and cautioned against an imminent constitutional crisis and asked the House to take it up for discussion.
Senator Zafar warned that constitutions are not murdered by bullets, but by mala fide amendments made under the guise of reforms. He emphasized that the Constitution was a sacred document, and reminded the House that when the 1973 Constitution was adopted on April 10, 1973, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had declared that it was the Constitution of the people of Pakistan not of one man or one party. The PTI legislator recalled that many dictators amended and distorted the Constitution to break its spirit and weaken democratic institutions. “It was only in April 2010, that parliamentarians of great eminence rose above party lines to pass the 18th Amendment, a historic restoration of democracy, which negated the distortions.” He pointed out that the salient features of that amendment were the independence of the judiciary, empowerment of the provinces, transparency and security of appointments to the Election Commission, and the reversal of distortions introduced by dictatorships. The 18th Amendment, he continued, had restored the 1973 Constitution to its original democratic spirit, revived the parliamentary form of government and strengthened provincial autonomy and democracy.
At the very outset, PTI Senator Azam Swati raised the issue of vacant seat of opposition leader and urged for early naming of the leader of the opposition in the House in accordance with the relevant rules. He wondered “for how long will we be without our opposition leader?”
To this, Manzoor Ahmad Kakar, who was presiding over the sitting, agreed with the PTI senator and said that the decision on the opposition leader should be made and added that the decision has to be taken by the chairman.
The PTI legislators started chanting slogans and at one stage, they gathered before the chair’s podium and threw up torn copies of the agenda items. Some of them resorted to loud sloganeering. However, they returned to their seats when the floor was given to Barrister Ali Zafar.
After Ishaq Dar responded to the PTI parliamentary leader, BAP Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri was on her feet to read out from the rules of procedure and conduct business in the Senate, 2012, to insist that slogan-chanting, rowdy behaviour and tearing of table documents, display of banners, placards…was not allowed as per the rules. “When we tear up papers, bang books and scream…we are breaking our own laws, then how are supposed to make other laws,” she remarked. The House will now meet again on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that consultations were continuing on the 27th Constitutional Amendment, and that the country was moving from a Constitutional Bench towards a Constitutional Court. Talking to the media in Lahore, Tarar said the aim of the 27th Amendment was to strengthen the judiciary. He said local government elections have been held on a non-partisan basis in the past and should continue to be held on time.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan announced that the party’s official reaction to the 27th Constitutional Amendment will only be formulated after consulting the incarcerated party founder, Imran Khan. Speaking to the media near the Dahgal checkpoint outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, Barrister Gohar stated the issue would be addressed by the party’s political committee to devise a comprehensive strategy.
He strongly criticised the proposed constitutional amendment, asserting that the 26th Amendment had already fueled divisions within the country. He maintained the PTI’s firm position that no constitutional clause should be amended without the consensus of all provinces.
He recalled that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had previously mandated that changes requiring provincial agreement should not be implemented until consensus is reached.
The PTI chairman warned that diverting powers or departments back to the federation without provincial approval would be a “risky move.” Furthermore, Gohar alleged that a previous government attempted to establish a constitutional court but managed to replace it with a constitutional bench, which he believes compromised judicial independence. He lamented the continuous denial of permission to meet Imran Khan, terming it an “act of injustice and oppression.”
Addressing a recent tweet by Mashal Yousafzai, Barrister Gohar categorised it as an “internal party matter” that should be resolved within the party structure. In a broader appeal, he remarked, “Every patriotic Pakistani is saying that all stakeholders should sheathe their swords and take a step back,” adding that circulating “provocative videos” in the current sensitive climate was akin to “pouring fuel on the fire.”
Regarding a potential march on Islamabad, Gohar clarified that the party would only discuss such a move upon receiving instructions from the party founder.
Barrister Gohar discussed changes to initial drafts of government legislation, specifically mentioning Article 243 (concerning the armed forces) and Article 200 (related to the transfer of judges). He noted that an early draft included a clause under Article 200 allowing the government to transfer a judge without their consent, but this was later removed in the October version. Similarly, a clause concerning Article 243 was present in the draft handed to the PTI on October 12 but was subsequently deleted. The version the party stipulates that laws regarding the tenure of army chiefs would be protected and immune from amendment.
The PTI chairman highlighted that the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award was never discussed during the relevant proceedings. He pointed out that the last NFC Award was issued in 2007, and all the provinces are still awaiting for the 11th Award. Gohar stressed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s share, approximately 14.6 percent, cannot be constitutionally reduced. Gohar defended his recent visits to party members Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Ejaz Chaudhry, stating there was “nothing wrong” with visiting an individual to inquire about their health.
Separately, talking to the media near Adiala jail, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said Bilawal Bhutto’s tweet regarding the proposed 27th constitutional amendment is “very scary.” “We reject the 27th Amendment; we reject the privileges of this assembly. No constitutional amendment can be made by an assembly of Form 47.”
Salman Akram Raja further stated that the basic structure of the Constitution is being altered in Pakistan, and the concept of an independent judiciary is being abolished. “We will oppose this amendment in any case and we believe that all parties should oppose it,” he emphasised.
He pointed out that the Islamabad High Court had issued specific orders regarding his meeting (with Imran Khan). “I have shared the high court order with the SHO via WhatsApp; my associate is bringing a copy of the order. Justice Arbab Sahib has given orders to the advocate general concerning my meeting,” he noted.
Separately, PTI parliamentary leader in the Senate Barrister Ali Zafar stated that while terrorism is a problem for all, stances on how to end it may differ. “Operations are underway, but we must speak about this with unity. Poverty and unemployment are among the reasons for terrorism,” he maintained.
He said that the KP chief minister has to run the province and oversee governance. He added that the chief minister is a political party representative and is entitled to discuss politics, asking what was wrong with him speaking about the release of the founding chairman.
Meanwhile, sources told Geo News that the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill is expected to be presented before the Senate on November 7 as the federal government is eyeing its passage next week.
This development came after the session of Senate’s Business Advisory Committee amid ongoing political debate on constitutional tweaks. The sources said the Senate and National Assembly’s standing committees would separately review the draft during their respective sessions before the bill is moved for approval. “The bill is expected to be passed next week after deliberations by both Houses’ committees,” they added.
