Ishaq Dar promises consultation on 27th Amendment plan

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the government will take all allied parties and stakeholders into confidence before moving forward with the planned 27th Amendment. He added that the draft will be given to a special committee for detailed discussion.

Speaking in the Senate, Dar also criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its past policies towards the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He said that allowing TTP members to resettle in Pakistan was a serious mistake, and the country is now paying the price for those wrong decisions.

Dar emphasized that the government is serious about making constitutional changes and will follow all legal procedures. He added that discussions are already happening with coalition partners on different parts of the proposed amendment.

Concerns and debates

Some people believe the 27th Amendment could roll back the 18th Amendment, which gave provinces more autonomy. However, officials argue that financial challenges faced by the federal government are the main reason for considering changes to the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.

The debate has also revived the idea of a Constitutional Court, which was first proposed under the “Charter of Democracy” signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Commitment to open discussion

Dar urged lawmakers to avoid personal attacks during the debate and instead focus on constructive discussion. He said that the Law Minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, will present the 27th Amendment Bill first in the Senate.

He also confirmed that all coalition parties will be represented in the Senate committee, along with members of other key committees, including the Standing Committee on Finance.

Dar further noted that the Senate still needs to appoint a new Leader of the Opposition, as the position has been vacant since PTI’s Shibli Faraz was disqualified.

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