Tarar says constitutional amendment will require allies’ consensus

ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Saturday that any move on a constitutional amendment would go ahead only after consultation and consensus within the ruling coalition, adding that there were currently no indications of a 28th Amendment taking shape.

Speaking during a media interaction in Lahore, Tarar said the government could not move forward on constitutional changes without first consulting its coalition partners. He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would hold consultations with its allies in parliament and proceed only after receiving a signal from them.

We are a coalition government; how can we proceed with constitutional amendments without consultation?

The minister said the shape of any amendment could only become clear once a draft was prepared, and stressed that nothing was yet settled. He also said all stakeholders would sit together for dialogue on major issues that required agreement, adding that earlier consensus-based approaches, including those seen in 2009, could serve as a guide for future discussions.

Nothing is clear yet; the contours of any amendment become visible once a draft is prepared

Tarar’s remarks came in line with Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s recent statement denying any immediate discussions on a proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment. Addressing the PPP parliamentary party meeting on Thursday, Bilawal said no talks had yet taken place on the matter, while leaving open the possibility of future developments.

No talks have taken place yet on the 28th Amendment; [but] I do not know about tomorrow

Bilawal’s comments had followed a statement by State Minister for Law Barrister Aqeel Malik, who rejected the impression that a possible 28th Amendment would undo the 18th Amendment. Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, Malik said such an interpretation was incorrect.

This impression being created that if the 28th Amendment is introduced, it is a rollback of the 18th Amendment — I believe an extremely false impression is being created

Tarar reiterated that the constitutional amendment process would move ahead only through agreement among coalition partners and other stakeholders. He said the federal government was dealing with governance-related challenges and pointed to several national matters under discussion, including the National Finance Commission, the proposal for a Saraiki province, and the strengthening of local governments.

He also referred to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s position on empowering local governments, saying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had tasked him with building consensus on the party’s proposals.

The law minister added that coordination between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari would help move consultations forward on important national issues.