Consultation on constitutional amendments to continue: PM

Shehbaz Sharif meets PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his delegation on Monday

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stated that consultations with all political parties on the proposed constitutional amendments will continue.

The prime minister made these remarks during a meeting with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his delegation on Monday, Express News reported.

The PPP delegation included Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab.

During the meeting, the prime minister hailed the recent improvement in economic indicators, noting that inflation had fallen to single digits for the first time in months.

“Last month, inflation dropped into single digits, and the State Bank reduced the policy rate by 2%, which has strengthened investor confidence in the economy,” Shehbaz said.

He also highlighted a reduction in fuel prices, describing it as another step towards providing relief to the public. "Gradual improvements are emerging in the country, and we are grateful to Allah for this," he added.

The proposed constitutional amendments were also discussed in detail. Prime Minister Shehbaz emphasised that legislation and constitutional amendments are the domain of parliament.

"The parliament is a sovereign institution, and 240 million people have given it the mandate for lawmaking," he said, highlighting that the amendment’s purpose is to ensure the swift and effective delivery of justice to the people.

He reassured that consultations with all political parties will continue, and Bilawal, along with other senior leaders, will play an active role in this process.

Federal Ministers Azam Nazir Tarar, Ahsan Cheema, and Attaullah Tarar were also present during the meeting.

The government has decided to present the much-anticipated constitutional amendments during the next session of the National Assembly.

The delay in presenting the amendments reflects the government's ongoing efforts to ensure consensus among political leaders before proceeding with the legislative process.

After changing the timing of the federal cabinet meeting and the parliamentary sessions, efforts were made to build consensus over changes in the package at Maulana's residence and during the special committee's meetings held at Parliament House last night.

The special committee meetings, chaired by Khursheed Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), met frequently but ended without reaching a resolution to the contentious issues, leaving the deadlock on the constitutional amendments unresolved.

Khursheed Shah explained that the draft of the proposed constitutional amendments could not be released until it was approved by the federal cabinet—a prerequisite for passing the constitutional amendment bills before they passed through parliament.

Sources said that the deadlock persisted on the extension of the chief justice of Pakistan and the establishment of the constitutional courts.

They said that the JUI-F had so far been opposing any extension and raised several questions.