Govt denies considering 28th Constitutional Amendment

• Minister denies reports of 28th amendment work.
• No meeting held on the matter, says Tariq Fazal.
• PMO official says no proposal under review at PM's Office.
  

ISLAMABAD: Despite recent statements by some cabinet members, top government figures now insist that no proposal for a 28th Constitutional Amendment is currently under consideration.

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, categorically denied reports suggesting that the government was working on the 28th amendment package. 

Speaking to The News, both on his own behalf and on behalf of Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, he said: “There is no 28th Amendment under consideration.”

A key official in the Prime Minister’s Office also said that nothing related to a new constitutional amendment is being examined at the PMO. “There is no such proposal under review,” the source said.

Dr Tariq clarified that no meeting has been held on the matter and termed the current discussion “a media-amplified issue.” He explained that while some proposals, originally part of the 27th Amendment package but dropped due to lack of consensus, might be revisited in the future, there is presently no move towards initiating a 28th Amendment

“Right now, there is no consideration for a 28th Constitutional Amendment,” he stressed, adding that he had reconfirmed this with the law minister. “Anyone asking about the 28th Amendment is being told the same. There is no such thing under consideration.”

Speculation intensified after a few cabinet members talked about the 28th Amendment. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, was quoted a few days earlier saying that the government would “soon introduce the 28th Constitutional Amendment.”

In Chiniot, he reportedly told journalists that the proposed amendment would focus on local governments, the National Finance Commission (NFC), and health-related matters.

 He added that consultations on these subjects were going on and that the government could move forward if a consensus were achieved.

State Minister for Law, Barrister Adeel Malik, was also cited in the media as having spoken about a possible 28th Amendment. 

However, despite repeated attempts, during recent days, he neither attended mobile phone calls nor replied.

Originally published in The News