DPM assures Senate bill will follow due process; Consultations with all allies before legislation
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Photo: SCREENSHOT
ISLAMABAD:
Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House Ishaq Dar assured the Senate on Tuesday that the proposed 27th constitutional amendment was a government initiative and would be introduced only after thorough consultation with coalition partners.
The House met with Senator Manzoor Ahmad in the Speaker’s chair, with Senate President Yusuf Raza Gilani currently serving as Speaker, while the Deputy Speaker was unavailable. After examining procedural matters, the session was marked by a heated debate on the proposed amendment.
Speaking in response to the fiery speech by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar, Dar stressed that the amendment was a government initiative and not a proposal from outside.
He said the process would begin in the Senate before moving to the National Assembly to ensure thorough review. “My suggestion is that the 27th Amendment be introduced first in the Senate because there are numbers games in the National Assembly,” he said, adding that the bill would be referred to the Law and Justice Committee for consideration.
He highlighted that the coalition partners, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), had been taken into confidence.
“We will move forward in accordance with the Constitution and the law, giving every member the right to debate and share their opinion,” he said. “Allies are being kept informed and the project will only be finalized after mutual agreement.”
Responding to lawyer Zafar’s remarks on the absence of an opposition leader in the Upper House, Dar said the appointment was the constitutional responsibility of the Senate President. “Once the process is complete, the president will have to proceed accordingly,” he said.
Earlier, Zafar had told the House that his party had written to the President a week ago seeking the appointment of the opposition leader, but received no response. “All these procedures without an opposition leader are not appropriate,” he said.
The PTI leader also referred to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s comments on the 27th Amendment, questioning whether the bill was truly initiated by the government or came from elsewhere.
The Deputy Prime Minister said Bilawal, as the president of a political party, had every right to tweet and his remarks were not without reason. “What he said about the 27th Amendment was discussed,” Dar added.
Reiterating the government’s stand, Dar said the 27th constitutional amendment was proposed by the government itself. “It’s our amendment. The 27th amendment does not arrive by parachute; it is the government which proposes it,” he declared. “We must not rush things through rhetoric.”
Dar reiterated that it was the constitutional duty of the government to propose amendments transparently and by consensus. “There should be no confusion about who will introduce the bill,” he said. “This is the government’s responsibility, and it will be done through Parliament, not outside it.”
During his speech, Dar also touched on regional and security issues, saying Pakistan had sent more than 2,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza and was part of diplomatic efforts with seven other Muslim countries to secure a ceasefire and humanitarian access.
He also discussed Pakistan’s concerns over terrorism and relations with Afghanistan. He said that after the Taliban takeover, Pakistan had repeatedly requested that Afghan soil not be used against it. “If war breaks out, the government’s decision is clear: we will fight until the last breath,” he said.
He added that groups such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were operating from across the border. He expressed hope that the next round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on November 6 would result in progress.
The session, however, turned noisy when PTI senators protested against the delay in appointing the opposition leader. They tore up copies of the agenda, chanted slogans and surrounded the president’s dais, thereby disrupting the proceedings.
Despite the turmoil, the Upper House continued to deal with the legislative agenda. The Senate passed several key bills, including the Daanish Schools Authority Bill 2025, the King Hamad University of Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences Bill 2025, and the Asaan Karobar (Easy Business) Bill 2025.
The House also approved the Qanun-e-Shahadat (Amendment) Bill 2025 and passed a resolution extending the Virtual Assets Ordinance 2025 by 120 days, moved by Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar.
