KARACHI: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the government will soon table the much-discussed 27th constitutional amendment in parliament, amid concerns that it could undermine provincial autonomy.
Constitutional amendments in Pakistan require a two-third majority in both houses of parliament and have historically been used to redefine the balance of power between the legislature, judiciary and provinces. The proposed 27th amendment follows the 26th amendment passed in October 2024, which empowered parliament to appoint the Supreme Court chief justice for a fixed term and created a panel of senior judges to hear constitutional cases, a move critics said weakened judicial independence.
Pakistan’s constitution, adopted in 1973, has been amended more than two dozen times, often reflecting the country’s shifting balance among civilian governments, the military and the judiciary. Provisions such as the National Finance
Commission (NFC) award, which governs how federal revenue is shared among provinces, are especially sensitive because they underpin Pakistan’s federal structure and provincial autonomy.
In a post on X on Monday, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a major coalition partner, said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had approached his party, seeking support in passing the amendment. He said the proposals included creating constitutional courts, restoring executive magistrates, amending Article 243, which defines the command and control of the armed forces, removing protection for provinces’ share in the NFC award and returning education and population planning to the federation.
