Information Minister Atta Tarar on Monday dismissed rumours that the government was considering raising the minimum age for voters to 25, saying there was no need to respond to unverified claims.
“Responding to rumours is unnecessary. There are hundreds of different rumours circulating, and it is unclear who is spreading them,” he said while talking to reporters.
Tarar added that the rumoured bill contained no such provisions regarding the minimum age for voters as reported in the media.
Tarar’s statement came after Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday that the government was planning to increase the voting age during discussions related to the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment.
His suggestions were met with strong criticism by politicians and civil society. Questioned about the matter on private television programme ‘Capital Talk’, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said there was nothing as such in the pipeline. “I at least don’t know of any such discussion that has taken place,” he said.
Questioned whether any discussion had taken place on any proposed 28th amendment in the cabinet, he responded: “absolutely not”.
Speaking during a private television programme, Sanaullah had remained non-committal when asked about the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment.
“It is settled that whatever amendment comes will be the 28th Amendment, because the 27th has already been done. So now, we should expect the 28th Amendment,” he said.
However, he did not confirm whether such an amendment was under consideration, adding that the issues potentially linked to a 28th amendment were of fundamental importance and remained part of ongoing dialogue between political parties and their leadership.
Responding to a question, he endorsed Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s stance that no constitutional amendment could be passed without the ally’s support.
Earlier, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, “According to the United Nations, people between the ages of 15 and 29 are considered youth,” he told reporters in Parliament House, warning that depriving 18-year-olds of the right to vote would affect the democratic process.
Separately, opposition lawmakers on Monday staged a protest on the National Assembly floor, demanding proper medical care for incarcerated PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
During session, PTI members did not point out a lack of quorum as the session commenced, which was chaired by Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah.
As soon as the session progressed, the leader of the opposition in the lower house, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, stood at his seat and said that the deadline had expired and the government was not providing the required medical care to the former prime minister.
“We had given the government time until Monday to mend its ways in this regard and had announced that we would not be part of the proceedings,” he said, adding that the opposition would also boycott the budget session.
However, as he spoke, his voice was cut off and his speech was not broadcast on any official channel.
The protest also continued during the Question Hour.
The National Assembly is set to meet again on Tuesday morning.