A crucial federal cabinet meeting, which was scheduled to approve the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, has been postponed. This delay has sparked new discussions in political circles and highlights the existing tensions among the government’s coalition partners.
Officially, the meeting was delayed due to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s busy schedule. However, this postponement comes at a time of deep disagreements among the ruling parties over the contents of the amendment.
The proposed 27th Amendment is not a minor change. It includes significant and controversial proposals, such as creating a new constitutional court, setting the retirement age for judges at 68, and introducing a new position titled “Commander of Defense Forces.”
Prime Minister Sharif has been in talks with allied parties to build support for this difficult step. Sources report that the MQM Pakistan has agreed to support the amendment after meeting the Prime Minister. They were reportedly given assurances that their draft on local governments would also be included in the amendment.
However, the government faces its biggest challenge from its other main ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The PPP has rejected almost all proposals within the amendment.
Speaking to the media after a party meeting, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated clearly that his party rejects any proposal related to changing the provincial share in the NFC (National Finance Commission) formula. He said that apart from a specific change to Article 243, all other points of the 27th Amendment have been “fully rejected,” and the party is not prepared to support them under any circumstances.
This situation shows the difficult political battle the government faces, needing to convince not only the opposition but also its own key allies to pass these constitutional changes.
