PTI terms 27th Amendment attempt to undermine Constitution

Punjab leaders describe tweaks as ‘theft’ rather than reforms

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has criticised the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling it a blatant attempt to undermine the Constitution and the judiciary.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, PTI's provincial. legislator Sheikh Imtiaz and Central Punjab Information Secretary Faiza Murad described the amendment as “a theft rather than reforms,” claiming it had nothing to do with the will of the people and everything to do with political control.

They alleged that the government is pursuing a long-standing authoritarian ambition, referring to it as a dream once envisioned by General Ziaul Haq and later attempted by General Pervez Musharraf but never realised.

According to the PTI leaders, the amendment’s core objective is not judicial reforms but the subjugation of the judiciary to the executive. “The real intent is to place the courts under the thumb of the government,” they remarked.

Both leaders expressed alarm over the proposed changes to the process of judicial appointments and the curtailing of the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers. They argued that judges appointed by the prime minister would lack independence, making it nearly impossible for them to rule against the government’s interests.

“Under these changes, the judiciary’s power to take suo motu notice will be reduced to family and rent disputes, while judges who resist political interference could be sidelined or forced into early retirement,” they warned.

They also drew attention to provisions they claimed could introduce lifetime immunity for the president, comparing it to past discussions of lifetime military ranks. “This amendment is not about governance or justice—it’s about protecting an individual,” they said, criticising the move as an assault on democratic norms and the separation of powers.

The PTI leaders accused the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) of hypocrisy, saying that despite its repeated claims of defending the Constitution, it is now backing what they called an unconstitutional amendment without debate or transparency. “Even the PPP’s Central Executive Committee has not been presented the draft, and many parliamentarians have no idea what they’re voting for,” they added.

Lashing out at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), they alleged that the party has a history of pushing legislation without proper drafts, mirroring the behaviour of past authoritarian regimes. “A government that came to power with just 17 seats has no moral or constitutional mandate to alter the foundation of the Constitution,” the PTI leaders said.

They warned that the passage of such an amendment would mark a dangerous precedent, eroding the independence of the judiciary and the democratic structure of the country.