Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said that the much-talked about 27th Constitutional Amendment will be tabled soon in Parliament.
Speculation and debate over a possible 27th Constitutional Amendment reached fever pitch on Monday after the PPP claimed the government had sought its support for the proposed changes to the Constitution.
The proposed changes have sparked a nationwide debate, with political parties weighing their positions amid concerns that the move could roll back some powers devolved under the landmark 18th Constitution Amendment. The opposition PTI has announced its intention to oppose the proposed amendment ‘tooth and nail’.
Addressing the matter while speaking in the Senate session today, the deputy PM said: “Of course the government is bringing it and will bring it … the 27th Amendment will arrive … and is about to arrive. We will try that it be tabled in accordance with principles, laws and the Constitution.”
He reassured the opposition that the amendment would pass through the required steps, such as a robust debate in Parliament and sub-committees.
“The government does not have reservations on anything. It is not the case that the amendment is tabled and there is voting on it in a haphazard, ad hoc manner; this will not happen,” he reassured PTI Senator Barrister Ali Zafar.
Dar said the government was following the “standard process” of legislative activity, saying it was consulting the PPP for now since it was the biggest ally of the government. “I have had at least three rounds [of consultations] and the law minister has also held,” he added.
The deputy PM said the government would also approach its other allies and take them on board before presenting the document of the amendment.
Referring to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s X post announcing that the government had approached his party over the issue, Dar said he had a complete right to do so.
“The areas he identified are not in the air. Let me also confess this thing, there have been talks on those topics.”
He urged Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar that the amendment be tabled in the Senate first, since it had more “professionalism and value input” than the National Assembly.
Dar also urged Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan Nasar to request Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani to appoint the opposition leader in the Upper House soon.
He assured that the process for the amendment would be “transparent”. Dar added that other stakeholders would also be consulted about the amendment.
The deputy PM also addressed the current situation with Afghanistan and rued the persistent deterioration in relations despite what he said were his own outreach efforts, as well as by Pakistan in general.
Explaining the reasons for the above development, he criticised the government in power circa 2021 for “doing so much outreach that we go there and say: ‘I’m here for a cup of tea’ … but that cup of tea proved to be very costly for us. That cup of tea opened the borders again, the 35-40,000 Taliban who had fled from here came back and the government of that time released 100 hardened criminals who had burnt the Pakistani flag in Swat and martyred hundreds of people. This was the biggest mistake.”
Dar said problems had increased so much for the country that it had regressed back to 2012. Referring to the ongoing negotiations with Afghanistan, Dar said Afghan Taliban FM Amir Muttaqi called him six times a day ago.
“I told him: ‘We asked only one thing of you, that there should be no terrorist activities from your soil in our country and you have brought even me to that point where a supporter like me who wants to help you and hold your hand as an Islamic country, neighbour and as per Islam is helpless.’”
Two-thirds majority
A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both houses. In the 336-member National Assembly, the ruling coalition has 233 members, while the opposition holds 103. Within the coalition, the PML-N has 125 seats, PPP 74, MQM 22, PML-Q five, Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party four, and PML-Z, Balochistan Awami Party, and National Peoples Party one seat each.
In the Senate, which comprises 96 members, the ruling coalition does not enjoy the two-thirds majority of 64 senators required to pass a constitutional amendment. With 61 senators, the coalition would need at least three votes from the opposition to ensure its passage. In such situations, the government usually turns to the JUI-F to seek its support.
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