Islamabad: Following the Federal Cabinet’s endorsement of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a vital ally of the government, has unveiled the specific clauses over which it holds strong reservations. These political disagreements focus primarily on critical constitutional areas, including provincial autonomy, fiscal rights distribution, and the structure of the Election Commission.
Details emerging from the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting confirmed the following major points of dissent:
- Financial Rights Protection: The party decisively rejected any attempt to weaken the financial share allocated to provinces under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, specifically refusing to agree to the proposal to abolish Clause 3A of Article 160.
- Safeguarding Provincial Subjects: The CEC opposed the suggestion to reverse Schedules 2 and 3 related to provincial autonomy. Furthermore, the clause aiming to bring subjects like Education and Population back under Federal control was also rejected.
- Electoral and Eligibility Rules: The PPP did not agree to the proposed amendment of Article 213 concerning the appointment process of the Chief Election Commissioner, nor the changes to Article 63 (1) and (c), which address the eligibility of civil servants holding dual nationality.
- Magisterial Powers: The proposal aimed at restoring the powers of Executive Magistrates was also deemed unacceptable by the PPP.
While Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has publicly supported the establishment of Constitutional Courts, the PPP’s rigid position on these provincial rights-related clauses signals a necessity for intense political negotiation within the ruling coalition before the constitutional bill can secure smooth passage through the Senate.
