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PM Shehbaz chairs cabinet session via video-link from Baku to approve draft as allies back the bill aiming to streamline constitutional process Cabinet-approved draft tabled in Senate which was referred to NA, Senate law panels for detailed review Joint session of NA and Senate law panels convened; JUI-F members boycott over provincial rights concerns Law Minister emphasizes discussions to continue until a consensus reached among all members, inviting opposition to join session PM Shehbaz engages allies; opposition PTI and JUI-F raise concerns over provincial rights, NFC shares and transparency ISLAMABAD: In a decisive move, the federal government on Saturday accelerated the much-debated process for the 27th Constitutional Amendment, presenting the bill in the Senate immediately after federal cabinet approval. The step, described by some critics as “rushed,” triggered intense discussions in the parliamentary committees on law and justice, highlighting the complex interplay of politics, provincial rights, and judicial reforms in Pakistan. The move has drawn both support from allied parties and sharp criticism from opposition and legal experts who view certain aspects as encroaching on provincial autonomy and the 18th Amendment. The draft, which has been under deliberation for over a decade, proposes significant structural changes, including the formation of a Federal Constitutional Court, revisions in the appointment and transfer processes of high court judges, adjustments to provincial cabinet thresholds, and modifications to the military leadership structure. Committee Deliberations and Initial Reactions After the Senate tabled the bill, it was referred to the standing committees on law and justice, which convened a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate committees to discuss its provisions. However, two Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) members, Aliya Kamran and Senator Kamran Murtaza, boycotted the session, citing that the draft included clauses that had been previously discarded in the 26th Amendment deliberations. A joint meeting of the Senate and National Assembly Committees on Law & Justice, co-chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek and Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, MNA, was held to consider the Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025. Deliberations to continue tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/TtDpFHMJms — ꜱᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴀᴋɪꜱᴛᴀɴ 🇵🇰 (@SenatePakistan) November 8, 2025 Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, speaking to media after the session, emphasized that discussions would continue until a consensus was reached among all members. “All parties were participating, and we even requested the opposition to join the session,” Tarar said, adding that the boycott was limited to JUI-F members who had been instructed by their party leadership not to attend. View this post on Instagram Tarar described the amendment as a “long-awaited” reform, which had been part of constitutional discussions for the past 10–15 years. He recalled that during the 18th and 26th Amendments, similar proposals had been debated but were either delayed or modified based on political consensus. “One of the aims of the proposed changes is to eliminate the criticism of a ‘court within a court,’” he added, noting that arguments on approximately 60 percent of the clauses had already been completed.
