NA passes 27th Amendment Bill as opposition stages walkout

The National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill amid a noisy session attended by key political figures, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

According to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the bill secured 234 votes in favour and four against. The opposition staged a walkout.

The bill was passed through a two-stage voting process; division voting followed by clause-by-clause approval.

The bill was moved by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar for the house’s approval, two days after the Senate approved the key legislation, which seeks major judicial and military reforms.

Addressing the floor today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the members of the house for ensuring their availability for the voting. He said the house exhibited solidarity and national unity.

He also paid tribute to deceased Senator Irfan Siddiqui and prayed for his maghfirat. He hailed him as the “teacher of teachers,” and lauded his loyalty to Nawaz.

The prime minister also condemned the terrorist attacks in Islamabad and South Waziristan.

“These Khawarij, among whom, regrettably, some Afghans were also involved, have all been eliminated, while all cadets, students, and teachers were safely rescued,” he said. “I congratulate the nation on this success and express gratitude to our army and law enforcement agencies for their professionalism in safeguarding the country’s youth.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also spoke about the recent suicide blast in Islamabad, saying that the involvement of terrorist networks in such incidents was now undeniable.

Referring to his earlier statement blaming Indian involvement and the so-called Fitna al-Khawarij, he noted, “footprints from Afghanistan are also evident.” The premier added that India had rejected these allegations, but Pakistan had already presented clear evidence before the world.

He cited the Jaffer Express incident in Balochistan as an example, saying, “We showed the world how the TTP and BLA operated from Afghan soil, maintaining contacts with terrorists there and their facilitators in India. These facts were presented before the international community, and no one refuted them“.

Sharif said denying Pakistan’s claims about foreign-backed terrorism was like “calling day as night and night as day“.

“I want to say this with complete confidence and resolve to these terrorist elements and enemies of Pakistan: we are fully aware of your designs. We have responded firmly in the past, and we will do so again, whenever necessary,” he concluded.

Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Nafisa Shah said that the PPP’s role in the 26th or 27th Constitutional Amendments will have to be viewed in light of the clauses that were not included in those bills.

She said some provisions not included in the amendment bill concerned the federal structure and resources.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly speaker once again expressed his readiness to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition.

The speaker said his offer should be accepted, emphasising that the only way forward is by sitting together. He also recalled that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif repeatedly invited the opposition for dialogue.

In his address, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the 27th Constitutional Amendment was aimed at further strengthening governance and defence as well as ensuring the effective delivery of justice.

The PTI did not become part of the political process rather indulges in political point scoring, he said.

In the house, the ruling coalition, including PML-N, holds 125 seats, PPP (74), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (22), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (5), Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (4), and the Pakistan Muslim League-Zia and Balochistan Awami Party and National Peoples Party, one seat each.

Meanwhile, the opposition has 103 seats.

On Monday, the bill was passed through the Senate with a two-thirds majority, as 64 senators voted in its favour during the crucial session, while the opposition staged a walkout.

The bill was then tabled in the National Assembly on Tuesday, triggering fierce accusations from the opposition that the ruling coalition is consolidating power for the elite while shielding the corrupt and untouchable.

PTI vowed to reject the provisions at all costs and pledged to protest against them through all available platforms, including street demonstrations.

Tarar introduced the bill, and all 59 clauses were approved one by one in the upper house.

The bill proposes significant constitutional changes, including the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), judicial reforms, and lifetime immunity for the president and field marshal.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned the amendment as a flawed and undemocratic move that could reduce the country’s fledgling democracy to little more than a façade.

“If this amendment passes, the constitution will be rendered meaningless,” Khan warned, adding that the PTI would not accept what he called a “betrayal of the public trust.”