Party President Says CEC Supports Article 243, Constitutional Courts and Transfer of Judges
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addresses a press conference in Karachi, Friday, November 7, 2025.
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the party’s Central Executive Committee has decided to support the proposed 27th Amendment, with conditional approval of provisions related to the establishment of constitutional courts and reforms in the judicial transfer process.
Speaking at a press conference after the CEC meeting in Karachi, Bilawal said, “I also made it clear yesterday that the PPP would support Article 243 and also vote in favor of it. » He reiterated that the PPP plans to support three key changes, including Article 243, constitutional courts and the transfer of judges, ensuring that the reforms are consistent with democratic principles and judicial independence.
He said: “There are mainly three points in the constitutional amendment that the PPP plans to support. The first is Amendment 243, which has been under discussion for some time and is seen as a key step in strengthening parliamentary oversight. The second concerns the establishment of constitutional courts, particularly in light of ongoing consultations with the government on which aspects of the Charter of Democracy it is prepared to implement at this stage. The third concerns the transfer of judges, provided that judges incoming and outgoing chief executives remain members of the commission responsible for supervising these decisions.
He added that the idea of constitutional courts came from the PPP itself. “This initiative is part of every PPP manifesto, and it has also been included in the Charter of Democracy, which mentions the creation of constitutional courts,” he said.
Read also: Proposed 27th Amendment challenged in top court
The PPP chairman further said that the party’s CEC deliberated on the issue for two days and concluded that while the PPP supports the principle of establishing constitutional courts, other elements of the Charter of Democracy must also move forward to ensure balance. “We will work with the government to see where further consensus can be built,” he noted.
Addressing the proposal to change the process of transfer of judges, Bilawal said the government’s suggestion aims to shift authority away from the current system that requires consultation with concerned chief justices and consent of the judge, by transferring this power to the parliamentary committee that oversees judicial appointments.
He said the PPP offers an alternative mechanism. “We believe it would be more appropriate for the president to initiate the process, and if a role is to be given to the Judicial Commission, it would be an appropriate forum for serious discussion since it includes the chief justices and senior members of the judiciary,” he said.
Bilawal added that the chief justices of the transferring and receiving high courts should participate in the voting process, and the judge concerned should be given an opportunity to present his or her position before any final decision. “This would make the process more transparent and address criticisms raised about the amendment.”
On other elements of the proposed 27th Amendment, including issues relating to dual nationality and the executive judiciary, he said internal consultations were still ongoing. “At this stage, I am unable to announce the PPP’s vote or support for the other proposed constitutional amendments,” he said.
Learn more: PPP rejects key 27th Amendment proposals
The day before, the PPP had rejected the proposed amendment, with the party’s highest political body having made it clear that there would be no compromise on provincial autonomy or the provincial share in the National Finance Commission (NFC). Bilawal told reporters on Thursday evening that the CEC would continue its deliberations on Friday, adding that final decisions would be announced after the meeting.
The PPP-CEC met to discuss the proposed 27th amendment, also in the presence of President Asif Ali Zardari and senior party leader Faryal Talpur. The main agenda was to determine whether the party should support the constitutional changes proposed by the government.
Bilawal said a delegation from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had contacted the PPP to seek support for the 27th Amendment. “In response, we have convened a meeting of the Central Executive Committee to deliberate on the matter,” he said. “The PPP will only support the amendment relating to Article 243, while all other points have been rejected,” he added.
“The government has proposed an amendment to Article 243 to rename the post of Joint Chiefs of Staff and introduce a new national strategic command post. The PPP Central Executive Committee has authorized me to announce that the party only supports this amendment. All other points have either been completely rejected or discussions on them will continue tomorrow.”
Commenting on the proposal to establish a constitutional court, Bilawal reiterated the party’s long-standing position that such a body must ensure equal representation of all provinces. “Even in the context of the Charter of Democracy, our party’s position remains that we are not prepared to compromise on the equal representation of the four provinces,” he said.
He noted that although the Charter of Democracy referred to the formation of a constitutional court, “other issues were also included in the Charter.” He said the PPP CEC would meet again on Friday to continue discussions and reach a final decision on the proposed constitutional court.
