Azam Nazeer Tarar says constitutional changes remain off the table without consensus
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar. PHOTO: FILE
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Saturday there were currently no signs of a 28th constitutional amendment, stressing that any move toward constitutional changes would only proceed after consultation with coalition partners and other stakeholders.
Speaking to the media after attending the Justice AR Cornelius Conference in Lahore, the law minister said the government was functioning under a coalition setup, where even ordinary legislation required consultation, making constitutional amendments impossible without consensus.
Tarar said the consultation process would move forward whenever coalition parties gave a signal, adding that all stakeholders would be taken on board because certain matters required national consensus.
Read: PPP pours scorn on govt’s 28th tweak plan
Referring to the 2009 constitutional reforms, he said consensus at the time was achieved through national dialogue and that any future process would follow the same path. He clarified that no final draft of any constitutional amendment currently existed and said the contours of any proposed amendment could not be determined until a formal draft was prepared.
The law minister said the federation was facing multiple governance challenges and that serious discussions were needed on constitutional and administrative matters.
He noted that population growth remained a key factor in the National Finance Commission formula, while various provincial and regional demands, including the issue of a Seraiki province, continued to surface in political discussions.
He further said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan had been advocating for stronger local governments, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had tasked efforts to build consensus on different constitutional and governance proposals.
Rumours about a proposed 28th constitutional amendment have been doing the rounds since last year and have gotten stronger as of late. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah had even said in November that the government would soon introduce the amendment before Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry had shot down any such move.
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Amid growing speculation, the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party said a day earlier that the government had not contacted his party regarding any proposed constitutional amendment, while warning that the passage of any such legislation would not be possible without its support.
“Without the PPP, the passage of constitutional amendments and the federal budget would not be possible,” he said.
Earlier this week, State Minister for Law Barrister Aqeel Malik also endorsed Tarar’s statement and categorically said that no formal work was currently being carried out on any constitutional amendment.
Speaking on a private television programme Capital Talk, the minister remarked that “the 28th naturally comes after the 27th”, but reiterated that no formal work was currently underway on any constitutional amendment.
