ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Monday said that the 28th Constitutional Amendment would be introduced soon, expressing confidence that it would also be passed by the parliament.
Speaking to journalists in Chiniot, Sanaullah said the proposed amendment would relate to local bodies, the National Finance Commission (NFC) and health matters, noting that discussions on these subjects were already underway.
He added that if consensus is achieved, the government can move forward with formally presenting the 28th Amendment in parliament.
His remarks came days after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led ruling coalition passed the 27th Amendment, which brought changes to the judicial structure and military command.
Sanaullah, while speaking to journalists, also referred to the resignations tendered by two Supreme Court judges and one from Lahore High Court (LHC), saying that the parliament has the constitutional right to pass amendments, while judges have taken an oath to uphold and protect those decisions.
The prime minister’s adviser said it does not befit any judge to involve themselves in political protests. “Those who stepped down did so due to their personal motives,” he added.
Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah resigned from their posts in separate letters to President Asif Ali Zardari, strongly criticising the 27th Amendment.
The jurists had criticised the 27th Amendment, describing it as a “grave assault on the Constitution of Pakistan”. However, the federal government called the judges’ resignations “political speeches” and the latter’s allegations “unconstitutional”.
Two days later, LHC judge Shams Mehmood Mirza followed the jurists’ footsteps and quit from his position “in protest against the newly-enacted 27th Constitutional Amendment.”
I appreciate how you compared different approaches — very helpful.