DPM assures Senate bill will follow due process; Consultations with all allies prior to legislation
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Photo: SCREENGRAB
ISLAMABAD:
Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House Ishaq Dar on Tuesday assured the Senate that the proposed 27th constitutional amendment was a government initiative and would be introduced only after thorough consultation with coalition partners.
The House met with Senator Manzoor Ahmad in the chair as the Chairman of the Senate Yusuf Raza Gilani is currently acting as the President while the Deputy Chairman was unavailable. After procedural matters were taken up, the session saw a heated debate on the proposed amendment.
Speaking in response to a fiery speech by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar, Dar stressed that the amendment was a government initiative, not an outside proposal.
He said the process would begin in the Senate before moving to the National Assembly to ensure detailed investigation. “My proposal is that the 27th Amendment should be brought first in the Senate because there is a number game in the National Assembly,” he said, adding that the bill would be referred to the Law and Justice Committee for review.
He emphasized that coalition partners including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) were taken into confidence.
“We will move forward in accordance with the constitution and the law, giving every member the right to debate and share their opinion,” he said. “Allies are being kept informed and the draft will only be finalized by mutual agreement.”
Responding to Barrister Zafar’s remarks on the absence of an Opposition Leader in the Upper House, Dar said the appointment was the Speaker of the Senate’s constitutional responsibility. “Once the process is complete, the chairman should proceed accordingly,” he said.
Earlier, Zafar had told Parliament that his party had written to the Speaker a week ago seeking the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition, but received no response. “All these cases without a leader of the opposition are not correct,” he said.
The PTI leader also referred to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s comments on the 27th Amendment, questioning whether the bill was actually government-initiated or came from elsewhere.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that Bilawal, as the president of a political party, had every right to tweet and his remarks were not without reason. “What he said about the 27th amendment has been debated,” Dar added.
Echoing the government’s stand, Dar said the 27th constitutional amendment was brought by the government itself. “That’s our amendment. The 27th amendment doesn’t come with a parachute; the government brings it,” he said. “It will not be rushed through rhetoric.”
Dar reaffirmed that it was the government’s constitutional duty to bring forward changes transparently and by consensus. “There should be no confusion as to who should present the bill,” he said. “It is the government’s responsibility and it will happen through parliament, not outside of it.”
During his speech, Dar also touched on regional and security matters, saying Pakistan had sent over 2,000 metric tons of aid to Gaza and was part of diplomatic efforts with seven other Muslim countries to secure a ceasefire and humanitarian access.
He also discussed Pakistan’s concerns regarding terrorism and relations with Afghanistan. He said that after the Taliban came to power, Pakistan had repeatedly requested that Afghan soil not be used against it. “If war breaks out, the government’s decision is clear: we will fight to the last breath,” he said.
He added that groups like the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were operating from across the border. He expressed hope that the next round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on November 6 would yield progress.
However, the session turned noisy as PTI senators protested the delay in appointing the Leader of the Opposition. They tore copies of the agenda, shouted slogans and surrounded the Speaker’s podium, disrupting the proceedings.
Despite the uproar, the Upper House continued to take up the legislative agenda. The Senate passed several important bills, including the Daanish Schools Authority Bill 2025, the King Hamad University of Nursing and Associated Medical Sciences Bill 2025 and the Asaan Karobar (Easy Business) Bill 2025.
The House also approved the Qanun-e-Shahadat (Amendment) Bill 2025 and passed a resolution extending the Virtual Assets Ordinance 2025 by 120 days, moved by the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar.
