Almost a year after the 26th Constitutional Amendment was presented and widely criticised by opposition circles, the government is finalising the draft of the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which is expected to be approved by the federal cabinet on Friday.
As members of opposition, legal community and rights groups express concerns over the amendment that the ruling alliance aims to get approved by both houses of the parliament by Nov 14, sources have revealed to The Current key points of the proposal, a public draft of which has not yet been made available.
Officials privy to the details said that the amendment involves issues of national interest and the process in this regard has been ongoing for quite some time. “It is not about the benefit or loss of any political party, and the Constitution is not a divine scripture that cannot be amended,” they said.
Responding to queries in light of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s tweet ahead of consultations, sources revealed that a central defence-related clause in the proposed amendment sought to enhance coordination among the country’s armed forces.
“It has been proposed to ensure rapid response to external threats, and on the basis of what we learnt from the recent Pakistan-India clashes,” they added when asked about the reported changes to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to command of the armed forces.
Sources also confirmed judicial tweaks pertaining the establishment of Constitutional Courts with representation from all provinces, and the restoration of executive magistrates besides the transfer powers of judges to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).
On changes proposed to the workings of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, which determines provincial shares in national resources, sources did not confirm or deny the reservations of the government-allied PPP.
They also did not comment on the reported proposal seeking the return of education and population welfare ministries back to the federal list, reducing provincial control.
It may be noted that consensus for the passage of the amendment is crucial given the fragile coalition and frequently reported rifts between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the PPP and others.
While PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) is deliberating its stance, allied Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is lobbying for local government reforms through the amendments. According to reports, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has assured the MQM-P of supporting its proposed amendments as a delegation comprising Sindh Governor Karam, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Farooq Sattar called on the premier at the PM House in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, critics are warning against “militarising the Constitution, weakening provincial autonomy and concentrating power in Islamabad”.