Azam Nazeer Tarar says constitutional changes remain out of question without consensus
Minister of Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar. PHOTO: FILE
Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Saturday that there was currently no sign of a 28th constitutional amendment, stressing that any moves towards constitutional changes would only be made after consultation with coalition partners and other stakeholders.
Speaking to the media after attending Justice AR Cornelius’ lecture in Lahore, the law minister said the government was functioning under a coalition, where even ordinary legislation required consultation, making constitutional amendments impossible without consensus.
Tarar said the consultation process would move forward whenever the coalition parties gave a signal, adding that all stakeholders would be considered as some issues required national consensus.
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Referring to the 2009 constitutional reforms, he said the consensus at the time was achieved through national dialogue and any future process would follow the same path. He clarified that no final draft of a constitutional amendment currently existed and said the contours of any proposed amendment could not be determined until a formal draft was prepared.
The justice minister said the federation was facing multiple governance challenges and serious discussions were needed on constitutional and administrative issues.
He noted that population growth remained a key factor in the National Finance Commission’s formula, while various provincial and regional demands, including the issue of a Seraiki province, continued to surface in political discussions.
He further said that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan had advocated for stronger local governments, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had charged efforts to reach consensus on different constitutional and governance proposals.
