PM aide says 28th Amendment may arrive before New Year

Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Huzaifa Rehman has said the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment is expected to be introduced before the New Year, placing a fresh timeline on a measure that has generated extensive political speculation. Speaking during a televised discussion, he maintained that substantial work had already been completed on the proposed draft.

Rehman described the amendment as inevitable, although he allowed for its introduction to move forward or backward by approximately a week to 10 days. His remarks indicate that preparatory discussions may be at an advanced stage, but they do not constitute confirmation that a bill has been approved by the federal cabinet or formally scheduled for presentation in Parliament.

The special assistant linked the amendment to the continuing debate over the creation of additional provinces. Responding to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s opposition to extending that debate, Rehman argued that public opinion should be assessed through Parliament or, if necessary, a referendum rather than presumed without a formal democratic process.

Rehman further claimed that failure to use the proposed amendment to facilitate the creation of new provinces could close the opportunity for such restructuring. Former Sindh governor Imran Ismail had recently made a similar assertion, saying a draft had been prepared and that smaller provinces and changes involving provincial financial arrangements were among the matters under consideration.

The position, however, is not uniformly supported by other senior government figures. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said earlier that legal experts had not prepared a formal draft and promised consultation with political parties before any constitutional package moved forward. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also rejected suggestions that the amendment was being drafted specifically to create new provinces.

Any constitutional amendment would face a demanding approval process. Article 239 of the Constitution requires support from at least two-thirds of the total membership of both the National Assembly and the Senate. If a proposal would alter the boundaries of an existing province, it must also secure a two-thirds majority in the assembly of the affected province before being presented to the president.

That threshold makes coalition negotiations and provincial consent central to the proposal’s prospects. Questions about the number, boundaries, funding and administrative structure of any new provinces could create divisions among parties whose electoral influence and control over resources would be directly affected by territorial restructuring.

The next decisive development would be the publication or formal presentation of an authenticated draft. Until that occurs, the proposed amendment’s contents and timetable remain political claims rather than settled government policy. Parliamentary numbers, consultations with coalition partners and the response of provincial assemblies will determine whether the initiative advances before the end of the year.