By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The government signaled on Wednesday that it expected to achieve consensus on a contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment within days, paving the way for the legislation to be introduced in Parliament next week, even as opposition leaders rallied against the proposal, warning that it risked eroding provincial powers, judicial independence and public faith in the nation’s founding document.
The push comes just over a year after the passage of the 26th Amendment, which has become mired in controversy and litigation.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said consultations were continuing on changes to laws governing the armed forces, including potential revisions to Article 243 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the federal government “shall have control and command of the armed forces” and that “the supreme command of the armed forces shall vest in the president.”
He emphasised that such discussions were necessary because “defence requirements have changed.” Outside Parliament, Asif declined to provide specifics on any reservations or ongoing talks about the amendment.
He acknowledged that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party “had every right to express his views,” adding that the government was approaching other parties with the same openness to gather input.
The assurances followed earlier statements from the PPP this week, in which Bhutto-Zardari revealed that the government had approached his party for support on the proposed changes. According to him, the ideas under consideration include establishing constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, removing protections for provincial shares under the National Finance Commission and altering Article 243, which deals with the command of the armed forces.
Opposition party PTI’s chairman Gohar Ali Khan advocated for amendments to be adopted through consensus, citing examples from a neighboring country. He contended that the 27th Amendment “would run counter to the spirit of the Constitution” and cautioned against actions that could divide the nation, saying, “It will further jeopardise the independence of the judiciary.”
Gohar warned that the proposal endangered the federation by attempting to reclaim authority over population and education matters, noting, “These subjects were devolved to the provinces with the passage of the 18th Amendment.” He also raised questions about the leak of a draft version of the amendment.
Later that day, opposition leaders sought to broaden their coalition by meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, or JUI-F, at his residence in Islamabad. A JUI-F statement on the social media platform X described the talks as focusing on the current political situation. Emerging from the meeting, Maulana Rehman admonished those in authority not to treat the Constitution as a “plaything,” observing that the government was advancing another amendment in a manner reminiscent of the previous one just over a year ago. “When amendments are made under coercion, how can the people continue to have faith in the Constitution?” he asked.
Expressing concern, he added, “My fear is that if this continues, public trust in the Constitution will be completely eroded.” He recalled that during the 26th Amendment’s deliberations, the government had been “forced to withdraw 34 clauses that would have undermined key constitutional protections,” lamenting, “But now preparations are once again underway to do the same.”
Maulana Rehman noted that the opposition had not received the draft of the 27th Amendment, questioning how it could be presented in Parliament without it. “But opposition parties will develop a unified stance on it collectively,” he said. He accused the political climate of being intentionally steered toward confrontation, alleging, “One minister has been working on this amendment for three months. It means that the contents of this amendment came from somewhere else.”
He also charged Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar with misleading the public, pointing out that the PML-N leader had recently claimed no further amendments were needed.
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