Peshawar, NOV 5: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Wednesday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would strongly oppose the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, terming it an attempt to undermine provincial autonomy guaranteed under the 18th Amendment.
“Any move weakening the democratic mandate of the provinces will be resisted,” the provincial chief executive said while speaking to journalists outside Parliament House after attending a parliamentary party meeting.
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The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is now seeking a broad political agreement on the proposed constitutional tweaks for establishing a Constitutional Court, and making certain changes to the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
This tweak also sought to amend Article 243 — which pertains to the supreme command of the armed forces — as well as several other key constitutional adjustments, according to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Other proposals included the introduction of executive magistrates, provisions for the transfer of judges, and the removal of protections related to provincial shares in the NFC Award.
Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the government was currently in discussion with its major coalition partner, the PPP, and would also take other allied parties — including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the Awami National Party (ANP), and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) — into confidence before finalising the draft.
Speaking to reporters today, Chief Minister Afridi said the amendment amounted to a “robbery of provincial autonomy.”
“We will oppose the 27th constitutional amendment. It is a direct attack on the rights of the federating units,” he said. “PTI has always stood as the guardian of democracy and the Constitution.”
Afridi said the federal government owed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa its due financial share. “Under the NFC Award, KP’s share is 19.4%. Our rightful amount exceeds Rs7.5 billion,” he said, adding that provinces must receive the resources defined under the 18th Amendment.
“There will be no compromise on provincial autonomy. The sacrifices of this province for Pakistan must be acknowledged,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan — while speaking on the National Assembly floor — strongly criticised the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying it threatened the balance between the Centre and the provinces.
“There is unrest across the country because the federation appears to be encroaching upon provincial authority,” he said, adding: “Amending the Constitution is a serious matter.”
He noted that while India had amended its constitution 106 times, Pakistan’s 18th Amendment was a landmark achieved through consensus and must be respected.
“In the 26th Amendment, we had reservations on four clauses, and today you are putting the entire federation at risk,” he said. “No government should bring an amendment that further divides the judiciary.”
Barrister Gohar further stated that the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award had always remained untouched.
“The 27th Amendment is an attack on this very House,” he remarked, warning that the commitment made in the 18th Amendment — that provinces would not receive a lesser share than before — must not be violated.
Gohar added that the proposed amendment went against the “spirit of Parliament and the Constitution.”
Resolution seeking CM’s meeting with Imran Khan tabled
Separately, PTI lawmakers in the National Assembly submitted a resolution demanding that the KP chief minister be allowed to meet the PTI founder, currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail.
The resolution — bearing signatures of 34 PTI MNAs — noted that the founder of PTI is the head of Pakistan’s largest political party and that consultation with him is a democratic requirement.
The assembly members support a meeting between the KP chief minister and the PTI founder, read the text. “This meeting is part of constitutional and democratic consultation, and permission should be granted for the meeting at Adiala Jail.”
Afridi said he had made repeated attempts to secure a meeting.
“Since the day I became chief minister, I have asked for the meeting,” he said. “When it was not facilitated, I approached the High Court. Parliament is supreme, which is why I deemed it appropriate to submit the resolution here.”
