Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday denied any immediate discussions with the federal government on a potential 28th Constitutional Amendment, saying he would comment if there were any developments.
“No talks have taken place yet on the 28th Amendment; [but] I do not know about tomorrow,” he said while addressing the PPP’s parliamentary party meeting.
During the meeting, Bilawal said that he himself had spoken about the 27th Amendment and noted that the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments had secured provincial rights.
He added that PPP’s efforts ensured the representation of all provinces in the Supreme Court and Federal Constitutional Court.
His remarks follow State Minister for Law Barrister Aqeel Malik’s statement, rejecting impressions that the potential 28th Amendment would roll back the 18th.
“This impression being created that if the 28th Amendment is introduced, it is a rollback of the 18th Amendment – I believe an extremely false impression is being created,” Malik said while speaking to private TV news channel.
The minister added that no official work was currently underway on any constitutional amendment, but acknowledged that broader national issues had been discussed previously.
The 18th Amendment – passed during the PPP-led government in 2010 – has triggered many debates in the past, with calls to make changes to it. However, PPP has strongly objected to such proposals and has vowed resistance against any tweaks to the amendment.
Meanwhile, the PPP chief constituted a four-member committee – comprising MNAs Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, and senators Saleem Mandviwala and Sherry Rehman – for budget negotiations with the federal government.
According to Bilawal, the federal government would not be able to amend the constitution or pass the budget without his party’s support.
He cautioned that the upcoming budget could bring greater hardships for the public.
Pakistan was facing an economic crisis, he said, warning that inflation was heavily impacting citizens across the country.
The PPP chief said that political parties also felt the suffering of the public, adding that he welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s relief measures in difficult times.
The prime minister had requested provinces to assist the federation in curbing inflation, he said, adding that the PPP would work with the federal government to ease economic pressure on the public.
He maintained that no offer had been made to him regarding the Iran-US war and negotiations, while expressing hope that talks between Tehran and Washington would succeed in the future.