Govt finalises initial 27th Amendment draft for cabinet review tomorrow

The federal government has finalised an initial draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif having consulted coalition partners on the proposal. Following its approval in tomorrow's federal cabinet meeting, the amendment bill is set to be presented in the Senate.

Details of the proposed draft have been obtained by Express News. According to the initial draft of the amendment, sources said that a nine-member constitutional court will replace the existing constitutional bench in the Supreme Court under the proposed changes. Additionally, a proposal suggests increasing the retirement age for judges of both the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court from 68 to 70 years.

Sources further said that an amendment to Article 243 will provide constitutional protection to the position of field marshal, granting the field marshal constitutional powers. Under the proposed amendment, the title of field marshal will remain for life.

Additionally, the amendment draft proposes increasing the federal share in the National Finance Commission Award by 10%, with agreements expected to be made to transfer control of the education and health sectors to the federal government.

The draft also outlines that, in the event of a deadlock over the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, the matter will be referred to the Supreme Judicial Commission. Furthermore, the role of the president and prime minister in judicial appointments will be reduced, with more power being vested in the Judicial Commission.

Federal cabinet to meet tomorrow

The federal government has called a cabinet meeting for tomorrow morning at Parliament House to discuss the initial draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. According to sources, the Ministry of Law and Justice will present the proposed amendment bill during the meeting. Once approved, the bill will be prepared for presentation in parliament.

Under Article 239 of the Constitution of Pakistan, a rigorous constitutional process must be followed for the approval of any amendment. After a debate in the Senate, the draft will be referred to the relevant standing committee, where it will be reviewed before being presented in the joint standing committee of both the Senate and the National Assembly for final approval.

This meeting marks an important step towards finalising the amendment, which has been a subject of significant political discussion.

PM Shehbaz consults coalition partners

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has completed consultations with coalition partners on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. The initial draft of the amendment will be presented to the federal cabinet for approval tomorrow, according to sources.

On Thursday, the prime minister continued the consultative process, holding separate meetings with delegations from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

The prime minister took the BAP delegation into confidence regarding the 27th Amendment. During their meeting, the BAP representatives called for an increase in the number of provincial and national assembly seats for Balochistan, an issue they intend to raise in the ongoing discussions on the amendment.

A delegation of PPP leaders met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss and reach a consensus on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. The meeting focused on detailed consultations regarding the provisions and stance of the amendment.

A seven-member MQM-P delegation, led by Convenor Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, also met with PM Shehbaz to discuss and consult on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. During the meeting, MQM reiterated its demand for empowering local governments through constitutional reform. The delegation included Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, and MNA Dr Farooq Sattar, Javed Hanif Khan, Syed Aminull Haq, and Khawaja Izharul Hassan.

In addition to the PM, key government figures present at the meeting included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahsan Khan Cheema, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, and Prime Minister’s Advisor Rana Sanaullah.

The PM also held meetings with a delegation from the Istehkam Pakistan Party led by Aleem Khan, to discuss the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. Sources revealed that during the meeting, the PM briefed the IPP leaders on the details of the amendment. The consultation process is aimed at finalising the draft before it is formally presented for approval. The proposed changes are expected to impact key constitutional and governance structures in Pakistan.