ISLAMABAD: The embattled opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday vehemently condemned a controversial provision in the proposed 27th Amendment Bill, which grants lifetime impunity to certain officials, including the president and key military commanders.
Speaking at a press conference, PTI leader Latif Khosa, alongside party spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram, sharply criticised the provision, comparing it to the temporary immunity under Article 248, which did not protect late Gen Pervez Musharraf from high treason charges.
“This is unprecedented,” Khosa said. “Even imperial rulers in the subcontinent never granted themselves such sweeping privileges.”
He accused the ruling coalition of exploiting religious principles in morally and legally indefensible ways. “Granting lifetime immunity is not just illegal rather it is an affront to Islam,” he said, pointing out that neither the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) nor his companions sought immunity from accountability.
By institutionalising such immunity, he argued, the government was enabling corruption and abuse of power.
He warned that the provision could undermine the country’s legal system, violating Article 126, which mandates laws align with Islamic principles. “A law granting unaccountable power contradicts the very ideals of justice on which Pakistan was founded,” he added.
PTI accused the ruling elite of undermining judicial independence by creating a new Federal Constitutional Court under the 27th Amendment, which they fear will be filled with executive-loyal judges.
Khosa argued the court was designed to neutralise judicial challenges to the regime, further entrenching its grip on power.
Despite fierce criticism, PTI remained emboldened, believing the nation is waking up to the dangers of these constitutional changes. “The nation stands with Imran Khan,” he declared. “We will not tolerate slavery or bow to fascism.”
“We are committed to Haqeeqi Azadi [real independence], constitutional supre-macy, and judicial independence,” he vowed, pledging that PTI would resist the regime’s overreach at any cost.
He described the 27th Amendment as a continuation of the self-serving 26th Amendment, warning it was just the first step in the ruling elite’s plan to tighten their grip.
“We are staring down the barrel of a 28th Amendment,” Khosa predicted, drawing parallels to past military regimes – Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, and Pervez Musharraf – all of whom sought to entrench their rule.
On his part, Akram described the 27th Amendment as a deliberate move to dismantle democracy, erode judicial independence, and pave the way for authoritarian rule.
He vowed that PTI would use all legal and constitutional means, including peaceful resistance, to challenge what he called an egregious power grab aimed at legitimising the fraud of February 8, 2024.
He warned that passing the bill would tighten the government’s control over state institutions, especially the judiciary, and entrench an illegitimate political agenda.
“This is an attack on democracy,” he said, accusing the ruling coalition of using coercion, manipulation, and greed to engineer defections among opposition lawmakers.
He also singled out Senator Saifullah Abro of PTI for voting in favour of the bill in Senate, accusing him of betrayal for defying the party line.
“He has sold his conscience for petty interests,” he alleged, labelling him a “traitor” for violating the constitution and public mandate.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025