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 added: “Whenever there is a constitutional amendment anywhere in the world, it happens with a consensus and amends things according to the country’s needs.”

The PTI chairman said the 27th Amendment is “against the spirit of this House and the Constitution”, asserting that the country cannot have further division and urging that no amendments be presented that put more pressure on the courts.

“Amending the Constitution is this House’s right, and in this House, it is the right of those exact people who have the people’s mandate,” Gohar said. “Our democracy is very fragile; the people have no faith in the courts.”

He told the deputy speaker that when the 18th Amendment was passed in 2010, it was “passed with consensus and unity with the people”.

“The world acknowledged and celebrated it,” Gohar said. “However, when you presented the 26th Amendment, you brought 56 amendments, which were reduced to 25, then 18. We strongly opposed four of those amendments, including the constitutional bench, the tenure of judges and the preservation of the Election Commission.

“This is a time when the nation is very divided; tensions are high, terrorism is on the rise, the deficit is rising and people cannot bear further problems. Please, be concerned about Pakistan’s security.”

27th amendment not meant to rollback 18th amendment: Tariq Fazal Chaudhry

Responding to some points raised by opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry called for bringing “negative and false propaganda” to a halt.

He assured the National Assembly that the 18th Amendment would not be rolled back through the 27th amendment.

He denounced the attempts to make the 27th amendment controversial even before the official draft saw the light of day on the basis of assumptions and guesswork.

He said there was no plan to take over the control of educational institutions and education boards in the provinces. “We are just talking about a uniform syllabus,” he remarked.

Chaudhry said no step that weakened the federation, provinces and the relationship between them would be taken. “The purpose is to improve governance and bolster defence and strengthen the relationship between the federation and the provinces,” he remarked.

He said allies and all stakeholders would be taken on board and matters regarding the National Finance Commission award would also be decided through consultation.

He regretted that the 26th Amendment had also been dubbed as an attack on the independence of the judiciary. He noted that a separate constitutional court would help reduce the backlog.

The minister pointed out that the establishment of the constitutional court had been agreed upon in the Charter of Democracy signed between the PML-N and PPP in 2006.

He said amendments to the Constitution required a two-thirds majority and not consensus. He said the spirit of the Constitution would be followed.

About the demand for the KP chief minister’s meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, he said there was a procedure under the jail manual. He said Imran’s family members and counsels kept meeting him.

PTI submits resolution in NA

A resolution was submitted by PTI members in the National Assembly to arrange a meeting between KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and Imran Khan, with PTI members signing the resolution.

“This House affirms that consultation between elected representatives and their political leadership is a cornerstone of parliamentary democracy,” stated the resolution.

Recognising that lmran remains the head of the largest political party in the KP Assembly, the resolution said that the CM, as the constitutional head of the provincial government, “must be able to consult his leader on matters of governance and public mandate”.

“This House considers the denial of such access a violation of democratic
norms and an affront to the constitutional spirit that upholds dialogue and accountability,” it said.

Through the resolution, the PTI members urged both the federal and the Punjab governments to implement the orders of the Islamabad High Court pertaining to the CM’s meeting with Imran in letter and spirit.

“This House further declares that such a meeting shall constitute an official
and legitimate consultation between the Chief Executive of the Province and the Leader of the largest parliamentary party, consistent with the principles of representative democracy and federal comity,” the resolution stated.

Last Thursday, CM Afridi was denied a meeting with Imran for the fourth time since assuming office.

Afridi has termed consultation with Imran as crucial in order to announce his new provincial cabinet after he was elected as the chief minister in October.