A federal cabinet meeting scheduled for today (Friday) to approve the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment has been postponed, with a new date to be announced later. Reports indicate that all federal ministers have been informed about the deferment. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had initially called the meeting for 9:45 am at the Parliament House, where the draft amendment was to be presented for cabinet approval before being tabled in the Senate. All cabinet members had been directed to attend. Sources said that following cabinet approval, the Prime Minister was expected to leave for Baku. The postponement reportedly comes after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari voiced his party’s objections to certain clauses of the proposed amendment during a media briefing following the PPP Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting in Karachi. Bilawal stated that the PPP rejected proposals related to the National Finance Commission (NFC), emphasizing that any reduction in provincial shares would be unacceptable. He added that the party would also insist on equal representation for all four provinces in the proposed constitutional court. However, Bilawal expressed support for the amendment concerning the Field Marshal’s position and welcomed the proposed change in Article 243. Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman is expected to travel to Karachi today to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal to discuss the amendment. Last night, an MQM delegation met Fazlur Rehman at his residence seeking support for certain clauses, particularly those related to local government powers in Sindh and the rights of urban populations. It is worth noting that yesterday, a 32-member joint parliamentary committee was formed to review and finalize the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill. After receiving approval from the federal cabinet, the bill was to be presented in the Senate today by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar. Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani was then expected to refer the bill to the Joint Committee on Law and Justice of Parliament for further consideration. According to sources, the committee will be headed by senior parliamentarian Farooq H Naik and will comprise members from both the Senate and the National Assembly, representing multiple political parties. From the Senate, the committee includes Senators Shahadat Awan, Kamran Murtaza, Abdul Qadir, Syed Ali Zafar, Rubina Naz, Azam Swati, Zameer Ghumro, Khalil Tahir, Talal Chaudhry, and Hamid Khan. The National Assembly members on the committee are Bashir Virk, Gohar Ali Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Umair Khan Niazi, Chengiz Khan, Latif Khosa, Syed Qasim Gilani, Rana Qasim Noon, Dr Nafisa Shah, Syed Abrar Ali Shah, Naveed Qamar, Hassan Sabir, Syed Hafeezuddin, Kiran Haider, Alia Kamran, Zahra Wadood Fatemi, Saira Tarar, Mahjabeen Abbasi, and Shumaila Rana. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar will also serve as a member of the committee. According to parliamentary sources, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has boycotted all parliamentary committees, including this one. However, the joint committee retains the authority to invite members of the National Assembly for consultations or expert input. The committee will review the 27th Amendment Bill clause by clause before submitting its recommendations for final approval by both houses of Parliament.
Federal Cabinet Meeting on 27th Amendment Postponed
