KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a key coalition partner in Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government, on Thursday rejected key parts of the government’s proposed 27th constitutional amendment, including changes to the National Finance Commission (NFC) and devolution of powers, saying it would only support the clause relating to the armed forces.
According to political leaders privy to the issue, the amendment proposes creating a new constitutional court, restoring executive magistrates, revising the distribution of federal revenue among provinces and making changes to how senior judges and military leadership appointments are structured within the constitution.
The government has sped up consultations with parties in the governing alliance, including the PPP, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), in a bid to secure the two-thirds parliamentary majority required for constitutional changes.
Speaking at a news conference after a meeting of the PPP’s central executive committee (CEC), party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the committee had turned down any proposal that altered provincial share in federal resources or reversed devolution of powers achieved through the landmark 18th amendment.
