27th Constitutional Amendment bill table in National Assembly after Senate approval

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has presented the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the National Assembly, a day after the bill was passed by the Senate with the required two-thirds majority.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Law Minister Tarar said that the suo motu powers had been misused in the past, and the new amendment seeks to establish a clear procedure for exercising this authority.

He added that the proposal to form a Constitutional Court was a key point of the Charter of Democracy, noting that many countries around the world already have separate courts for constitutional matters.

Law Minister further stated that under the leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan had given India a “historic and exemplary response,” which received global recognition. He emphasized that the 27th Amendment was introduced with consensus, adding that constitutional amendments are only possible through majority support.

On the other hand, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan strongly opposed the bill, calling it a “day of mourning for democracy.” He said the move was equivalent to burying democratic principles, declaring that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) does not accept the 27th Amendment. “The Constitution is a sacred trust, and today it has been betrayed,” he remarked, accusing the government of imposing legislation through sheer force of numbers.

Shazia Marri, responding to the opposition, criticized their stance, recalling that supporters of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf were now speaking in the name of democracy.

She reminded the House that during the PTI government, parliamentary privilege was violated, bills were passed without being read, and the National Assembly was unlawfully dissolved on April 3, 2022. Marri said that continuity of the democratic process was the only guarantee of national stability.

With the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, Pakistan is set to move toward the establishment of an independent Federal Constitutional Court for constitutional cases, while for the first time, Parliament is reviewing the scope of the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers.

Yesterday, the government had the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill passed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate. The bill received 64 votes in favor, while not a single vote was cast against it.