Opposition Alliance Rejects 27th Amendment, Reveals November 21st Protest Plan

Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan, rejected the 27th constitutional amendment in its entirety, and announced a nationwide black day on 21 November and a series of pro-democracy protests aimed at what it described as ‘restoring the constitution to its original form’.

The statement comes a day after President Asif Ali Zardari signed into law the 27th Amendment Bill, which is now part of the Constitution, while the meeting also condemned the 26th Constitutional Amendment passed last year in 2024. The statement followed an emergency meeting of the TTAP chaired by Mahmood Khan Achakzai in Islamabad on Friday.

The gathering brought together senior leaders of major opposition parties, including Asad Qaiser, Secretary General of TTAP; Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Chairman of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen; Barrister Gohar Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI); Salman Ikram Raja, General Secretary of PTI; Akhtar Mengal, Chairman of Balochistan National Party; Zain Shah of Sindh United Party; Sajid Tarin of Balochistan National Party; and TTAP Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, among others.

After the meeting, TTAP issued a strongly worded statement accusing the government of destroying the basic structure of the constitution. Describing both the 27th and 26th Amendments as an attack on the core pillars of the state, it argued that the amendments had “subordinated the judiciary to the executive” and were introduced on a “personal basis.”

Also read: President accepts resignation of Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Athar Minallah after 27th row of amendments

The Alliance argued that the changes had effectively crippled the justice system. “These controversial constitutional amendments have completely paralyzed the judiciary and virtually nullified the authority and existence of the Supreme Court,” the statement read.

The rally also hailed Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, who resigned a day earlier in protest against the 27th Amendment, calling them ‘oath-bound, constitution-loving judges’ while interpreting their resignation as a ‘resistance to the plundering of the Constitution’.

The opposition bloc warned that no individual or official could be placed above the law, arguing that personal exemptions written into the constitution violated the Quran and Sunnah, as well as the core principles of democracy, accountability and justice. It said such carve-outs had turned a previously unanimous constitution into a political bone of contention, calling the changes a “sinister game” on the country’s unity and security.

TTAP reaffirmed its decision to oppose what it called “unconstitutional changes” and said it would use all democratic avenues to restore the constitution to its original form. The alliance also expressed full support for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Peace Jirga’s recent declaration and demanded its immediate implementation.

The announcement of the protest plan said that members of the National Assembly and the Senate will march from the Parliament House to the Supreme Court on Monday, while a resolution against the newly passed amendment will be tabled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on the same day. TTAP legislators in Punjab will also march from Punjab Assembly to Lahore High Court.

The TTAP further demanded the immediate release of PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, the party’s leadership and workers, as well as activists associated with the Baloch Solidarity Committee. It called for the release of all political prisoners and pledged continued struggle on behalf of workers, farmers, industrialists and marginalized communities “until their rights are fully realized.”

The alliance insisted that the movement would not withdraw until the constitution was reinstated in what it described as its “true and original essence.”