Government plans parliamentary process for proposed 27th amendment

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the federal government intends to bring its proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment before parliament only after completing consultations with coalition partners and following the required legal process. Addressing the Senate in Islamabad, he said the government would retain responsibility for introducing the bill.

Dar said there should be no uncertainty over who would present the proposed amendment, describing constitutional legislation as the government’s responsibility. He also referred to earlier constitutional reforms in which he had been involved, including the removal of Article 58(2)(b), and said the process must remain within the framework of the Constitution and law.

The government has not publicly set out the final text or specific provisions of the proposed amendment in the statement reported from the Senate. That distinction is important: an announcement that a bill will be prepared and tabled is not the same as parliament approving a constitutional change. The draft, its legal wording and its practical effect will need to be assessed once formally introduced.

Dar said the proposal would not be rushed through either house. According to him, it would first go to the relevant parliamentary committees, where lawmakers would be able to debate it and record their views before a vote. He said the government had already held several rounds of discussions with the Pakistan Peoples Party and had also consulted other coalition partners, including MQM, ANP and BAP.

He suggested that the Senate could be the first chamber to consider the legislation because of its role in detailed lawmaking. Dar said he would recommend its introduction there if the house wished, followed by referral to the Senate Law Committee chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek. He also proposed inviting members of the National Assembly’s law committee to participate, which he said could create a joint parliamentary mechanism.

For readers, the next meaningful developments will be the release of the draft, the scope of consultations, committee scrutiny and the parliamentary voting process. Dar described the proposal as a government initiative developed with coalition partners and legal experts, rejecting the suggestion that it had originated outside the government. Until the draft is published, however, the precise constitutional changes under consideration cannot be independently evaluated.

During the same Senate remarks, Dar also discussed Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement over Gaza and said the country had worked with seven other Muslim states on calls for a ceasefire, humanitarian access and the return of displaced Palestinians. He said Pakistan had sent more than 2,200 metric tons of relief goods since the conflict began and that further regional consultations were being considered.