Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday said there are no major roadblocks and impediments with respect to the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held meetings with the delegations of multiple parties in what appeared to be efforts by the government to prepare the ground to get the 27th Constitutional Amendment approved by parliament. Tarar was present during these meetings.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the minister said consultations among political parties on the proposed amendment were taking place in a “positive environment” and that a broad consensus appeared to be emerging.
“The feeling I got during today’s meetings, in which different political parties were present … I got the feeling that there is no major roadblock or impediment,” he said.
“There was no need for any further discussions or debate. Ideas were shared in a positive environment, some of which were agreed upon.”
The information minister added that the objective is “always to strengthen governance, defence and relations between the federation and the provinces”.
Tarar mainstained that he “looked forward” to the outcome of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting, which was being held on Thursday night. “I feel that good ideas will emerge from that meeting,” he said.
The minister added that once the proposals are tabled in parliament, a joint committee comprising leaders of all parliamentary parties from both Houses would be formed to review them.
“The Constitution is a living document that can be updated in line with the country’s evolving needs,” he explained.
“The [idea of the] 27th Amendment was born from the 26th,” Tarar said, adding that debates on the idea of a constitutional court had been ongoing since around 2005, and based on the demands of lawyers, a constitutional bench had been formed.
The minister also “categorically” clarified that amid talks about the 27th Amendment, no one would be meddling with the 18th Amendment. He added that Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry also previously assured the National Assembly that the 18th Amendment would not be rolled back through the new legislation.
An ‘attack’ on the House
A day earlier, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, while speaking in the parliament, termed the proposed 27th amendment an “attack on the House” and said his party would continue to raise their voices against it.
“Whenever there is a constitutional amendment anywhere in the world, it happens with a consensus and amends things according to the country’s needs,” he had said.
The PTI chairman said the proposed amendment is “against the spirit of this House and the Constitution”, asserting that the country cannot have further division and urged that no amendments be presented that put more pressure on the courts.
Meanwhile, responding to some points raised by opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry called for bringing “negative and false propaganda” to a halt.
He assured the National Assembly that the 18th Amendment would not be rolled back through the 27th Amendment.
Chaudhry also denounced the attempts to make the proposed amendment controversial even before the official draft saw the light of day on the basis of assumptions and guesswork.
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