Amendment | Pakistan

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday termed the proposed 27th amendment an “attack on the House” and said that he and his party would continue to raise their voices against it. According to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, proposals for this new amendment include setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, ending protection for provincial shares under the National Finance Commission (NFC) and amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to the command of armed forces. Addressing the National Assembly today, the PTI chairman spoke about the proposed amendment, remarking that when the 26th Amendment was being passed, the PTI “made great efforts” with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “Maybe this time we won’t need to visit his (Fazl) home, or sit with you in committee,” Gohar said, directly addressing the deputy speaker, who was chairing today’s session. “We will raise our voice against it as it is an attack on the House.” Gohar adde...

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Wednesday demanded that local governments (LGs) be given autonomy in the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. After the PPP revealed key features of the proposed amendment for which the government sought its support, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said yesterday that the legislation for the tweaks will soon be tabled in Parliament. MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar presented his party’s demand today while addressing a press conference in Islamabad, alongside party leader Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Sattar asserted that after provincial autonomy had been granted under the 18th Amendment of 2010, the “next step naturally is local autonomy, so it’s turn must come”. “The important thing that we also said at the time of the 26th Amendment, that our constitutional amendment package be included,” he said, referring to its agreement with the PML-N to empower local governments. “But it did not happen,” Sattar lamented, calling for the matter to be included in the 27th Amendme...

PPP stalwart and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has warned that the government’s proposed constitutional changes could effectively undo the landmark 18th Amendment.

PPP stalwart and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Tuesday said the recently proposed changes to the Constitution, if passed, would amount to a rollback of the much-touted 18th Amendment. Yesterday, the ruling party PML-N’s coalition partner PPP revealed it had been approached by the government for its support in passing a 27th Constitutional Amendment. The key features were heavily criticised by lawyers and politicians, who termed them an attempt to revoke provincial rights granted in the 18th Amendment. “The proposed constitutional amendments of the federal government, with reference to provincial autonomy, amount to a rollback of the 18th Amendment,” Rabbani said in a statement. The 18th Amendment, passed in 2010, had allayed provinces’ concerns by devolving several ministries and departments from the Centre to them, including education and population. “In the brittle internal political situation, playing with provincial autonomy will cast deep shadows over the federation,” the veteran politician warn...

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday dismissed fearmongering over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment and said the government would not impose any “calamity” over the nation in its name. The PPP said earlier today that its coalition partner PML-N has officially sought its support for a proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment — the idea of which had been floated soon after the 26th Amendment. The development comes even as three dozen petitions challenging most of the 26th Amendment, which had also faced sizeable censure, are pending before the Supreme Court. The proposals include setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, ending protection for provincial shares under the National Finance Commission and amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to the command of armed forces. Addressing the situation in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Sanaullah said: “The speculations appear to be such and our...

The PPP on Monday said that its coalition partner PML-N has officially sought its support for a proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment — the idea of which had been floated soon after the 26th Amendment. The development comes even as three dozen petitions challenging most of the 26th Amendment, which had also faced sizeable censure, are pending before the Supreme Court. According to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, proposals include setting up constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, end of protection for provincial shares under the National Finance Commission and amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution, which pertains to the command of armed forces. With the 27th Amendment’s introduction in the parliament now seeming to be on the horizon, the legal fraternity and political circles were quick to raise concerns about the proposed changes in the Constitution. Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, a former Sindh High Court Bar Association president, noted that the proposed changes seemingly aimed t...

Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan on Thursday remarked that ignoring Article 191A through which the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench (CB) was formed under the 26th Amendment would amount to granting the petitioners “final relief”. Justice Hassan’s observation came as an eight-member CB heard over three dozen petitions against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year. The PTI claimed seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three y...

Justice Ayesha Malik on Wednesday observed that there was no bar on a full Supreme Court hearing a case fixed before the Constitutional Bench under Article 191A introduced in the 26th Amendment. She made the remarks as an eight-member resumed hearing over three dozen petitions against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year. At the time, the PTI claimed seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Specia...

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on Tuesday remarked that the Supreme Court’s regular and constitutional benches (CBs) were “branches of one tree” as an eight-member CB heard arguments on petitions challenging the 26th Amendment. The Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC ju...

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on Monday observed that no Supreme Court benches besides the Constitutional Bench (CB) could hear constitutional matters as he and seven other judges heard petitions against the 26th Amendment. The Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judge...

Justice Ayesha Malik wondered on Wednesday whether Article 191A of the Constitution meant that a full court could no longer be formed as the Supreme Court’s (SC) Constitutional Bench (CB) heard petitions against the 26th Amendment. Article 191A was an addition to the Constitution made under the 26th Amendment to form constitutional benches in the Supreme Court to specifically deal with cases pertaining to constitutional matters, with its judges nominated by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP). The Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being pressured, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate, with both opposition parties and legal experts qu...

Senior lawyer Abid Shahid Zuberi on Tuesday told the Supreme Court’s (SC) Constitutional Bench (CB) that the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) had the power to form a full court as it took up a set of petitions against the 26th Amendment. The 26th Amendment was passed by Parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the CJP’s term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also paved th...

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail on Monday wondered whether judges comprising the Supreme Court’s (SC) Constitutional Bench (CB) hearing petitions against the 26th Amendment could do so if they were its “beneficiaries”. The Amendment was passed by the parliament during an overnight session in October last year, with the PTI claiming seven of its lawmakers were abducted to gain their favour as the party opposed the legislation. The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) also alleged its two senators were being, with both later defying party line to vote in the tweaks’ favour. The legislation, which altered judicial authority and tenure, has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s independence. The tweaks took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also p...

An eight-judge Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday began its deliberations on the petitioners’ request to form a full court to hear a set of pleas challenging the 26th Amendment. The Amendment, which was approved by both houses of parliament in October last year, altered judicial authority and tenure, and has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s autonomy. It took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee for the appointment of the CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also paved the way for the formation of the CB, which is now hearing petitions against the very legislation that enabled its establishment. The legislation had been challenged by various bar associations, bar councils, lawyers, the PTI, and some politicians. The SC is also seized with separate petitions seeking the formation...

An eight-judge Constitutional Bench (CB) of the Supreme Court (SC) approved on Tuesday a set of requests seeking the live streaming of proceedings on pleas challenging the 26th Amendment. The Amendment, which was approved by both houses of parliament in October last year, altered judicial authority and tenure, and has been a lightning rod for debate with both opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s autonomy. It took away the SC’s suo motu powers, set the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowered the prime minister to appoint the next CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. It also paved the way for the formation of the CB, which is now hearing petitions against the very legislation that led to its establishment. It has been challenged by various high court bar associations, the PTI and others. A CB headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprises Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Mus...

Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Thursday filed an appeal against the Supreme Court (SC) registrar’s decision to return his petition seeking a full court hearing of challe­n­ges against the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The 26th Amendment, passed on Oct 21, 2024, took away the SC’s suo motu powers and empowered a Special Parliamentary Committee to nominate the next chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) from among the three most senior SC judges instead of the senior-most one. The SC is currently seized with multiple petitions urging the constitution of a full court to hear the matter rather than the Constitutional Bench (CB) formed under the 26th Amendment. The CB is set to resume proceedings on the original appeals on October 7 (Tuesday). “I’ve filed an appeal against the registrar’s decision to return my petition, seeking justice once again. My petition argues that the majority decision of the Practice & Procedure Committee remains valid in law and cases related t...

Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Monday announced he would challenge the Supreme Court (SC) registrar’s decision to return his petition, which sought the court’s intervention to fix the hearing of pending petitions contesting the 26th Constitutional Amendment before a full bench. “This amounts to undermining and closing the doors of justice. Will file an appeal,” Khokhar said on X. The 26th Constitutional Amendment takes away the SC’s suo motu powers, sets the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) term at three years and empowers a special par­liamentary committee to nominate the next CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. Invoking the inherent jurisdiction of the apex court for the enforcement of fundamental rights under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, Khokhar had pled the apex court on September 4 for the immediate fixation of the pending challenges to the 26th Amendment before the full court, in compliance with the Oct 31, 2024, decision of the judges’ co...

Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Thursday moved the Supreme Court (SC), seeking its intervention to pave the way for the fixation of pending petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment before the full court. The 26th Constitutional Amendment, also known as the Constitutional Package, is legislation that takes away the SC’s suo motu powers, sets the CJP’s term at three years and empowers a special par­liamentary committee to nominate the next CJP from among the three most senior SC judges. Last month, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi had ignored a decision made last year by a committee, constituted under the Practice and Procedure Act 2023, to bring challenges to the 26th Amendment of the Constitution before the full SC. After filing his petition today, Khokhar said while speaking to the media that he sought the CJP’s decision to be overturned. “The chief justice said, ‘I have informally consulted all Supreme Court justices. We have concluded that all...

President Asif Ali Zardari has assented to the Petroleum (Amendment) Bill, 2025, as passed by Parliament.

A letter, penned by Supreme Court Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, has exposed another deepening rift within Pakistan’s apex court, this time over Chief Justice Yahya Afridi’s failure to implement what the two judges argue was a legally binding decision by a Supreme Court Committee to hear challenges to the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment before a Full Court. The letter, which has surfaced amid a brewing controversy, reveals a clash over judicial independence, transparency, and the handling of one of Pakistan’s most politically charged constitutional issues: the 26th Amendment, which alters judicial authority and tenure, and has been a lightning rod for debate, with opposition parties and legal experts questioning its impact on the judiciary’s autonomy. The letter states that on October 31, 2024, Justices Shah and Akhtar, members of the Supreme Court Committee formed under the Practice and Procedure Act, 2023, had pushed for a Full Court hearing to address petitions challenging the...