Tarar seeks to dismiss 28th Amendment rumours

Minister says tweaks only after consulting partners

LAHORE:

Rebuffing speculations about the PML-N-led government's plans to introduce another constitutional amendment package, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar has said there are currently "no signs" of the 28th Constitutional Amendment. "Any move toward constitutional changes will only proceed after consultation with coalition partners and other stakeholders," he said on Saturday.

The minister spoke to the media after attending the Justice AR Cornelius Conference in Lahore.

He said the government functions under a coalition setup where even ordinary legislation requires consultation, making constitutional amendments impossible without consensus.

Tarar said the consultation process would move forward whenever coalition parties give a signal.

"All stakeholders will be taken on board because certain matters require national consensus," he said.

Referring to the 2009 constitutional reforms, he said consensus at the time was achieved through national dialogue and any future process would follow the same path.

He clarified that no final draft of any constitutional amendment currently exists and the contours of any proposed amendment cannot be determined until a formal draft is prepared.

The law minister said the federation faces multiple governance challenges and serious discussions are needed on constitutional and administrative matters.

He noted that population growth remains a key factor in the National Finance Commission formula, while various provincial and regional demands, including the issue of a Seraiki province, continue to surface in political discussions.

He said the MQM-P has been advocating for stronger local governments, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has tasked efforts to build consensus on different constitutional and governance proposals.

Since coming into power in February 2024, the PML-N-led coalition government has passed two major constitutional amendment bills—the 26th and 27th amendments.

The amendments introduced major changes in the country's judiciary and are often criticized for their alleged attempts to weaken the superior judiciary.

The 26th Amendment fundamentally changed the manner of appointment, confirmation and tenure of judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. The amendment's primary impact fell on the architecture designed under Article 175A.