Minister of Information reacts pointlessly to rumours; Khawaja Asif says ‘absolutely’ no talks on amendments
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif (V) and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. Photo: Files
Federal ministers on Monday shot down rumors of raising the voting age to 25 as part of a proposed 28th constitutional amendment amid strong criticism of any such move.
Information Minister Atta Tarar denied circulating rumors that the government was considering raising the minimum voting age to 25, saying there was no need to respond to unconfirmed claims.
“Reacting to rumors is unnecessary. There are hundreds of different rumors circulating and it is unclear who is spreading them,” he said while speaking to reporters.
Tarar added that the rumored bill did not contain such provisions regarding the minimum age of voters as reported in the media.
Tarar’s statement came after the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, said on Saturday that the government planned to raise the voting age during discussions on the proposed 28th constitutional amendment.
His proposal was met with strong criticism from politicians and civil society. Asked about the case in private TV program ‘Capital talk‘, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said there was nothing like that in the pipeline. “At least I’m not aware of any such discussion taking place,” he said.
Asked whether any discussion had taken place on a proposed 28th amendment in the Cabinet, he replied: “absolutely not”.
Speaking during a private television program “Jirga”, Sanaullah had remained non-committal when asked about the proposed 28th constitutional amendment.
Read: No move for 28th constitutional amendment, says law minister
“It is settled that whatever amendment comes, it will be the 28th amendment because the 27th has already been done. So now we should expect the 28th amendment,” he said.
However, he did not confirm whether such an amendment was under consideration, adding that the issues potentially linked to a 28th amendment were of fundamental importance and remained part of the ongoing dialogue between political parties and their leadership.
In response to a question, he supported Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s position that no constitutional amendment could be passed without the ally’s support.
“Yes, absolutely. He is right to say that no amendment can be made without them and he is also right to the extent that they have not been informed that we are going to bring any 28th amendment,” he said.
However, he added that the OPP itself was aware of the current problems and also had proposals to solve them.
“Consensus building has not yet begun. Until there is consensus, no movement will be made towards any change,” he said.
On Saturday, Law Azam Nazeer Tarar also dismissed speculation about the PML-N-led government’s plans to introduce another constitutional amendment package, saying there was currently “no sign” of the 28th constitutional amendment. “Any move towards constitutional change will only proceed after consultation with coalition partners and other stakeholders,” he said.
He said the government operated under a coalition where even ordinary legislation required consultation, making constitutional changes impossible without consensus.
Azam said the consultation process would move forward once the coalition parties give a signal.
Read also: OPP pours scorn on the government’s 28th tweak plan
Last week, Bilawal said his party had not been consulted on any proposed constitutional changes, signaling new strains within the ruling coalition over key legislative issues and the upcoming federal budget.
Bilawal said that while he and President Asif Ali Zardari remained in touch with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government had yet to formally engage 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.
