Meeting at PM House to finalize strategy ahead of National Assembly vote on November 14
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will meet today with the leaders of allied parties at the Prime Minister’s House to discuss the 27th Constitutional Amendment, taking coalition partners into confidence during an important consultation session scheduled for this evening.
A decision has been made to get the 27th Constitutional Amendment approved by the National Assembly on November 14. In this regard, the Prime Minister will hold consultations with the allied parties, and all foreign visits of ministers and members of parliament have been canceled.
In addition, the Speaker of the National Assembly has consulted with the parliamentary leaders of all parties, and the agenda and schedule of the assembly session have been approved. However, the parliamentary leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not attend the meeting.
Read: 27th Amendment — What we know so far
Yesterday, opposition lawmakers came out all guns blazing in the National Assembly against the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which has stirred up a political storm in the country at a time when the apex court is already seized with petitions challenging the 26th Amendment.
Speaking on the floor of the lower house of parliament, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan denounced the new proposed changes to the 1973 Constitution as “an attack on the House,” vowing that his party would continue to raise its voice against the move.
Recalling the events surrounding the passage of the 26th Amendment, Gohar said that the PTI, along with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, had made “great efforts” to block it.
“Maybe this time we won’t need to visit his (Fazl’s) residence or sit with you in a committee,” he said, directly addressing the deputy speaker who was chairing the session. “We will raise our voice against it, as it is an attack on the House,” he added.
Read More: Vawda meets Fazl as 27th Amendment talks gain pace
“Whenever there is a constitutional amendment anywhere in the world, it is done through consensus and in accordance with the country’s needs,” the PTI chairman said.
What we know so far
The capital is abuzz with political frenzy as the much-discussed 27th Constitutional Amendment is poised to be tabled in the Senate this Friday.
With the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) set to take up the matter during its executive committee meeting slated for tomorrow, two questions appear to dominate all circles: what will the final draft of the Amendment contain, and can it realistically win passage, given the fragile coalition that underpins the current parliamentary set-up?
Deliberations on the 27th Amendment began soon after the 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed in October 2024. Yet, until now, no one could say with certainty what it would entail. On Monday, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari gave the first indication of what it will consist of in a post on X.
Based on Bilawal’s tweet, the 27th Amendment aims to further reform the judiciary, building on the changes introduced in the 26th Amendment. It proposes the establishment of federal constitutional courts in the provinces, the restoration of executive magistrates, and the transfer of powers to enable judges to move between jurisdictions.
Bilawal revealed that a delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Prime Minister Shehbaz, met with President Asif Ali Zardari and himself to seek the PPP’s support for passing the Amendment.
Much now hinges on the outcome of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting, which is expected to determine the party’s final position.
Also read: Shehbaz led PML-N delegation approached PPP to back 27th Amendment: Bilawal
The Senate
At present, 64 votes are required in the Senate to pass any constitutional amendment. The PPP holds 26 seats, making it the most dominant party on the government benches, while the PML-N holds 20.
Among the coalition partners, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has four members, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) holds three. Independent senators on the government side include Abdul Karim, Abdul Qadir, Mohsin Naqvi, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Asad Qasim, and Faisal Vawda.
On the opposition benches, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remains the largest party, holding 14 seats, with one newly elected senator expected to take the oath soon. The Awami National Party (ANP) holds three seats, while the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has seven. The Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) have one senator each.
The PTI has stated unequivocally that it will not support the 27th Amendment. The Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) has announced plans to block all attempts to secure its passage.
Former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser criticised the PPP’s stance, saying, “There was once a PPP of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who laid the foundation of the Constitution, and another of Benazir Bhutto, who sacrificed her life for democracy. But today’s PPP is working hard to bury democracy”.
The final step
After the amendments draft is finalised in the Senate, it will move on to the National Assembly for a vote.
The government alliance may hold a two-thirds majority in Parliament, but without the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) support, the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment remains uncertain. So, what is the current party position in the National Assembly, and how many votes are required to approve the amendment?
The National Assembly comprises 336 members, but with 10 seats currently vacant, the total number of sitting members stands at 326. To pass a constitutional amendment, the ruling coalition requires the “golden figure” of 224 votes.
