'Absolutely not': Govt shoots down rumours of raising voting age to 25, discussing 28th amendment

Federal ministers on Monday shot down rumours regarding raising the voting age to 25 as part of a proposed 28th constitutional amendment amid strong criticism of any such move.

Information Minister Atta Tarar dismissed circulating rumours that the government was considering raising the minimum age for voters to 25, saying there was no need to respond to unverified claims.

“Responding to rumours is unnecessary. There are hundreds of different rumours circulating, and it is unclear who is spreading them,” he said while talking to reporters.

Tarar added that the rumoured bill contained no such provisions regarding the minimum age for voters as reported in the media.

Tarar’s statement came after Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday that the government was planning to increase the voting age during discussions related to the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment.

His suggestions was met with strong criticism by politicians and civil society. Questioned about the matter on private television programme 'Capital Talk', Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said there was nothing as such in the pipeline. "I at least don't know of any such discussion that has taken place," he said.

Questioned whether any discussion had taken place on any proposed 28th amendment in the cabinet, he responded: "absolutely not".

Speaking during a private television programme “Jirga”, Sanaullah had remained non-committal when asked about the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment.

Read: No move on 28th constitutional amendment, says law minister

“It is settled that whatever amendment comes will be the 28th Amendment, because the 27th has already been done. So now, we should expect the 28th Amendment,” he said.

However, he did not confirm whether such an amendment was under consideration, adding that the issues potentially linked to a 28th amendment were of fundamental importance and remained part of ongoing dialogue between political parties and their leadership.

Responding to a question, he endorsed Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s stance that no constitutional amendment could be passed without the ally’s support.

“Yes, absolutely. He is correct in saying that no amendment can be made without them, and he is also right to the extent that they have not been informed that we are going to bring any 28th Amendment,” he said.

He added, however, that the PPP was itself aware of the issues at hand and also had proposals for resolving them.

“Consensus-building has not yet begun. Until there is consensus, no move will be made towards any amendment,” he said.

On Saturday, Law Azam Nazeer Tarar also rebuffed speculations about the PML-N-led government's plans to introduce another constitutional amendment package, saying there were 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.

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

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

Also Read: PPP pours scorn on govt's 28th tweak plan

Last week, Bilawal said that his party had not been consulted on any proposed constitutional changes, signalling fresh strains within the ruling coalition over key legislative matters and the upcoming federal budget.

Bilawal said that although he and President Asif Ali Zardari remained in contact with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government had yet to formally engage the PPP on any new legislative plans.

He also underscored the party's central role in the coalition's parliamentary strength, warning that constitutional amendments and passage of the budget would not be possible without PPP support.

"The government has not contacted the PPP regarding any new constitutional amendment," Bilawal said, adding that the party had not been taken into confidence over the matter.