KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday dismissed talk of any potential legislation regarding a 27th constitutional amendment as “baseless rumours”.
Even though the 26th Amendment is still mired in controversy, the power corridors in Islamabad are abuzz with talk of a possible 27th Constitutional Amendment, which, according to the insiders, will further “fine-tune” the structure and the functioning of the superior judiciary.
With the 26th Amendment, the government introduced sweeping changes to the judicial framework. Sources had said certain contentious matters, such as a separate constitutional court, left unresolved in the 26th Amendment, would now be taken up in the new amendment.
Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad about the matter, Bilawal addressed the “baseless rumours”, stating: “So far, no federal minister, prime minister or party member has approached me regarding any amendments.”
He also highlighted that the 26th Amendment was passed after reaching a consensus with compromise from political parties. “PPP wanted constitutional courts, but we compromised,” he said.
In a post on X, the PPP quoted him as saying, “The 26th Constitutional Amendment is an eternal success. Judicial reforms and constitutional courts were a demand of the Charter of Democracy, but we prioritised a constitutional bench over a constitutional court for the sake of consensus.”
Though the speculations are rife, there has been no official word regarding the 27th Constitutional Amendment. At present, the proposal to further reform the judiciary is at a very initial stage, but consultations are reportedly underway within the ruling PML-N and some legal circles. Despite these purported consultations, any draft for this proposed bill has yet to see the light of day.
On Sunday, PTI senior leader Asad Qaiser said that the party would approach the legal fraternity following “new drama” surrounding the legislation. “In this case, we will approach the lawyers’ community regarding this legislation,” he said, adding, “We will begin by meeting with the Islamabad Bar this month.”
In June, amid speculation in legal circles about the government planning to bring in the 27th Amendment, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association endorsed the amendment while calling for broad-based judicial reforms, including the nationwide rotation of judges.
While responding to a question about amending the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, Bilawal said, “Absolutely. Further changes must come in NFC.”
He continued, “The previous NFC award was given before passing the 18th Amendment, which was before 2010.”
He said that various responsibilities of the federal government were handed to the provinces, adding, “But the NFC is the same as it was prior to the 18th Amendment.”
The PPP chairman continued, “The Constitution says that the NFC award must be regularly given after five years. It is already mentioned that the shares of provincial governments cannot be reduced in new NFC awards.”
“All provinces must be given more resources as per the increased responsibilities after the 18th Amendment.”
He added, “We must immediately call NFC and give new awards. All provinces must be given resources according to the 18th Amendment.”
