ISLAMABAD:
The federal government’s reported plans for a 28th constitutional amendment appeared to face early political opposition on Thursday after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said it had not been consulted on any proposed constitutional changes, signaling new tensions within the ruling coalition over key legislative issues and the upcoming federal budget.
Speaking to reporters in the National Assembly after chairing a meeting of the PPP’s parliamentary party, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that although he and President Asif Ali Zardari remained in touch with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government had not yet formally engaged the PPP in any new legislative plans.
He also emphasized the party’s central role in the coalition’s parliamentary strength and warned that constitutional amendments and approval of the budget would not be possible without PPP support.
“The government has not approached the PPP regarding any new constitutional amendment,” Bilawal said, adding that the party had not been taken into confidence on the matter.
Bilawal stressed that the PPP remained indispensable to the coalition’s parliamentary strength and argued that major legislation could not be passed without the party’s support.
“The OPP has not been consulted on the 28th amendment. The public is being crushed by inflation and the upcoming budget will cause further difficulties. Without PPP’s support, constitutional amendments and approval of the budget are impossible. OPP will not support any amendment without my approval,” Bilawal added.
His remarks come at a time when any constitutional change would require a two-thirds majority in parliament, making the backing of coalition partners crucial to the government’s legislative agenda.
Against this backdrop, the PPP Chairman’s statement has added uncertainty to the speculation surrounding the proposed 28th Amendment and highlighted the importance of internal coalition consensus before moving forward with sensitive constitutional amendments.
Although the details of the proposed 28th Amendment have not yet been formally shared, discussions surrounding the reported proposal have largely been viewed through the lens of centre-province relations and issues of tax distribution.
The PPP has historically opposed any move deemed to undermine provincial autonomy or reduce the share or constitutional protections available to smaller provinces under the post-18 amendment framework.
Referring to the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments, Bilawal said the PPP had played a pivotal role in earlier constitutional reforms while ensuring that provincial rights were protected.
“We did not allow the rights of the provinces to be reduced, instead we expanded them,” he said, referring to increased representation for Balochistan in the Senate.
The PPP chairman also warned that the country was facing worsening economic pressures amid rising inflation, saying the upcoming federal budget was likely to bring further hardship to the public. He said the PPP had consistently pushed the government to adopt relief-oriented measures and raised concerns related to inflation at both the federal and provincial levels.
In a move that reflects the party’s growing focus on budget negotiations, Bilawal announced the formation of a four-member PPP committee to hold talks with the government on the upcoming federal budget proposals.
The committee comprises former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar, and is expected to present the party’s recommendations aimed at easing the financial pressure on the public.
Bilawal also reiterated the PPP’s longstanding stance on accountability reforms, stating that the party had historically supported the abolition of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
He, however, said that the PPP had supported the recent amendments to the NAB Act due to political and legislative compulsions, while warning that the party could revise its position if commitments by the government were not fulfilled.
