ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Friday described the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a landmark step aimed at strengthening the judiciary, improving federal cohesion and advancing democratic reform.
Speaking to reporters after unveiling the Monthly Development Update for November 2025, he said the creation of a constitutional court fulfilled a commitment made nearly two decades ago under the Charter of Democracy, signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif and supported by all major parties at the time.
He said the concept had long enjoyed broad political agreement, adding that its purpose was to ensure equal provincial representation in constitutional matters and ease concerns about exclusion from key legal decisions. No political group, he added, had opposed the idea on grounds of weakening the judiciary since 2006.
He dismissed criticism that the amendment undermined judicial independence, calling such objections political rather than substantive. According to him, the reform would help the Supreme Court function more efficiently by allowing constitutional questions to be handled separately, freeing regular benches to deal with day-to-day caseloads.
The minister said the court would streamline adjudication and reduce delays that often tied up judges for weeks. He linked the reform to wider national security considerations as well, arguing that modern governance required integrated decision-making much like contemporary defence structures that operate across land, air, sea, cyber and space domains.
Ahsan Iqbal criticised opposition lawmakers for protests during the parliamentary session, saying they had offered no alternative proposals and instead chose confrontation over debate. The country, he said, required stability and economic recovery rather than political disruption.
He also highlighted ongoing reforms at the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to expand public access to data for research, policymaking and commercial use. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Rs122 billion Green Pakistan Programme, aimed at restoring ecosystems and improving climate resilience through expanded forest cover.
The minister said the government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was focused on long-term stability and stronger economic fundamentals. The latest monthly update reported inflation easing to 4.7 percent and tax revenues rising 11.4 percent during July to October of FY2025-26.
In October, the Central Development Working Party reviewed 29 development proposals, approving 12 projects and recommending six major schemes to ECNEC with a combined investment of more than Rs259 billion. These initiatives cover agriculture, water systems, clean energy and social protection and are expected to generate over 98,000 direct and indirect jobs.
He said the government was also working to strengthen the next phase of CPEC, attract foreign investment and launch modern data systems, describing these measures as building blocks for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
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