Treasury and opposition members trade barbs over proposed amendment and sharply disagree over its implications
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addressing the National Assembly during Wednesday’s session. Photo:X
Heated exchanges broke out in the National Assembly on Wednesday as lawmakers debated the draft 27th constitutional amendment. The Treasury benches rejected claims that the government intended to roll back the 18th Amendment, as the two sides traded barbs throughout the session over the scope and intent of the proposed amendment.
Speaking to the audience, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry rejected what he called “false and misleading propaganda”, suggesting the government was seeking to roll back the 18th Amendment. “Let me be absolutely clear: There is no intention to repeal the 18th Amendment under the 27th Amendment. Such politically motivated propaganda must stop,” he said.
Chaudhry stressed that the government, the ruling party or the prime minister have no intention of weakening the provinces. “No measure will weaken the federation or the provinces,” he reiterated, urging lawmakers to avoid speculation until the official draft is presented.
He said the draft amendment would first be tabled in the Senate and then in the National Assembly, where members would be given full opportunity to review it, debate and propose changes. “Once the draft is presented, each member will have the opportunity to review its contents and raise objections if necessary,” he said.
Read: 27th Amendment — What We Know So Far
He stressed that the Constitution was a “living document” and any amendment required a two-thirds majority in Parliament. “Consensus is desirable, but constitutionally, amendments are adopted by a two-thirds majority,” he said, adding that the proposed changes were aimed at strengthening the federation and promoting interprovincial cooperation.
Responding to criticism over the government’s legitimacy, Chaudhry said that while elections in every era were subject to scrutiny, the current assemblies had a legal mandate. “If anyone has concerns about the election results, they should go to court instead of questioning the authority of Parliament,” he said.
Highlighting national priorities, the minister said consultations would also focus on the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, demographic challenges and a uniform curriculum, which he described as a requirement of the times. However, despite the government’s assurances, opposition seats expressed strong reservations about the amendment, believing that this decision endangered the entire federation.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the proposed amendment posed a risk to national unity. “Across the country there is fear that the federation will attack the provinces,” he said, reminding the House that the government had come to power with only 16 seats.
“Constitutional amendments are a serious matter,” he said, pointing out that India has amended its constitution 106 times. “The 18th Amendment was unanimously adopted and celebrated by the people, but we have serious reservations about four clauses of the 26th Amendment. At the time, the amendments that were not included in the 26th Amendment, you intended to give them continuity. This was evidence that in adopting the 26th Amendment, you believed that it was unconstitutional and violated the sanctity of the federation. These amendments were in adoption course, and at that time you had attacked the judiciary Now, however, you are putting the entire federation in danger,” he said.
Barr Gohar added that the provinces were still waiting for the 11th NFC award and warned that the PTI would protest in the Assembly. He pointed out that the main problem currently facing the federation is the unresolved price of the NFC, emphasizing that the provinces are still waiting for the 11th price, which has not yet been announced.
“The most serious problem we face today is the NFC price,” Gohar said. “The provinces were waiting for the 11th award, but the 7th award continues to be extended. Under the 18th Amendment, it was supposed to be reviewed in 2010, but that never happened – and the 8th and 9th awards have not taken shape either.”
He warned that changing this arrangement or reducing the provinces’ share could destabilize the entire federal structure and undermine the spirit of provincial autonomy. “When the 18th Amendment was passed in 2010, it was clearly assured that the provinces’ share of any new NFC prices would never be less than what it was previously,” he said. “Any attempt to reduce this share or concentrate powers in the hands of a few individuals would endanger the federation itself,” he added.
Read also: No vote counting problem for the 27th amendment: Vawda
Barrister Gohar said the right to amend the Constitution belongs only to those who have a genuine public mandate. “You don’t have that mandate,” he told the Treasury benches. He also urged authorities to appoint Mahmood Khan Achakzai as the opposition leader, saying the PTI had submitted a petition with the support of 74 members. “He is our leader of the opposition,” he said.
Referring to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he criticized the ban on transportation of wheat to the province and said the KP chief minister was denied permission to meet PTI founder Imran Khan. “We urge the President to make a decision,” he added.
Separately, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar condemned what he called “regrettable” dismissals of media professionals by some private media outlets.
He said the government was ensuring that payments were made timely to media organizations and the profits should benefit journalists. He said a charter of demands would be given to the Pakistan Broadcasters Association and digital media still lacked a regulatory framework.
