The 27th Constitutional Amendment is expected to be approved today, with a vote in the National Assembly. Government sources have confirmed that additional amendments will be brought to the 27th Constitutional Amendment. These supplementary changes will be presented in the National Assembly, with separate lists prepared for government and opposition proposals. 11 opposition amendments have also been included on the agenda.
Once approved by the National Assembly, the bill incorporating the additional amendments will be sent back to the Senate. A Senate session, rescheduled at short notice, has now been convened for 5.00pm today.
Judicial and political circles have begun protesting against the move, with demonstrations spreading across the country.
The NA comprises of 336 members, but with 10 seats currently vacant, the total number of sitting members stands at 326. To pass a constitutional amendment, the ruling coalition requires the “golden figure” of 224 votes.
MQM leader Syed Mustafa Kamal said that his party’s suggestions regarding local governments were not included in the 27th Amendment but would be part of the upcoming 28th Amendment Bill.
Currently, the ruling alliance holds the support of 237 members in the NA. The PML-N is the largest party in the coalition with 125 members, followed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement with 22, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid with 5, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party with 4, and one member each from the Pakistan Muslim League-Zia and the Balochistan Awami Party. The government also enjoys the backing of four independent members.
However, the National Party, part of the ruling coalition, has decided not to vote in favour of the constitutional amendment.
PPP, with 74 members, is the second-largest party within the coalition. Its support has been crucial in helping the federal government secure not only a simple majority but also a two-thirds majority when required.
Read: Silence means complicity: Justice Minallah’s stark warning to CJP on threats to judicial independence
On the other hand, the opposition benches comprise a total of 89 members. These include 75 independents, 10 members from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-Pakistan), and one member each from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), and the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP).
With the government coalition having enough numbers, the amendments’ passage is soon set to become a reality. The 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill comprises 59 clauses and around 47–48 consequential amendments, with a vote to follow after debate.
National Assembly Session
Today’s National Assembly sessions commenced under the chairperson, Ayaz Sadiq. Fateha prayers were recited for the victims of the suicide attack at the Islamabad Judicial Complex.
“The Judicial Complex condemns the suicide bombing,” said the Speaker of the National Assembly.
During the session, Speaker Sadiq addressed Chairperson of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mahmood Achakzai, stating, “Prime Minister and the government have invited you for negotiations several times.”
Speaker Sadiq once again offered to facilitate talks.
Achakzai claimed that efforts were being made to block the path of public rule in Pakistan and expressed concern over what he described as an undemocratic change to the country’s constitution. “This amendment includes leaders who have made significant sacrifices,” he said, adding that the struggle between democratic and non-democratic forces in Pakistan has continued since the country’s inception.
He called for regional dialogue between Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and India, emphasising that war is a skill, not a game. “We do not accept the 27th Constitutional Amendment and will oppose it fully,” he said.
Achakzai urged the formation of a national government for six months to allow elections, stating, “Elections should take place and the winner should form the government. Soldiers are trained only to fight, not in democratic governance.”
Read more: Government presents 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill amid protests, voting today
Members of the PPP are set to convene for a parliamentary party meeting in the Parliament House today, at 2.00 pm
Voices of Protest
Supreme Court judge Athar Minallah has called on Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to convene a judicial conference to have an open dialogue on threats to the independence of the judiciary. In the 7-page letter titled “Moment of Reckoning,” Judge Minallah presents an overview of the chequered history of the top court, which he said has too often bowed before might and power instead of standing on the side of the people.
As the voices of protest reached Sindh, the Sindh government imposed Section 144 in the province. The Sindh Action Committee took to the streets in all districts of Sindh, joined by the legal fraternity, and blasted the 27th Amendment.
The Sindh United Party’s Roshan Ali Burio addressed the demonstration at Hyderabad Press Club, stating that the legislation will “clip the wings of the judiciary by not allowing the bench to function independently”.
“The freedom of expression and independence of the judiciary were snatched through the 26th amendment, and now the rulers want to go a step further,” he alleged. The Hyderabad police tried to disperse the protesters and detained over a dozen of them as well, with charges of violating Section 144.
The protest reconvened, this time in the Sindh High Court Bar Association, where they threatened to block the Hyderabad bypass road if the apprehended protestors were not released.
Similar demonstrations took place in all the districts and towns in the province. The protesters converged outside the Larkana press club, chanting slogans against the incumbent government in Islamabad and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for spearheading the amendment.
Also read: Ex-CJP Jawwad S Khawaja challenges 27th Amendment in SC
Protests against the amendment are expected in Islamabad today, outside the courthouses in G11.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has launched a fierce attack on the government’s sweeping constitutional reforms, accusing ministers of “distorting” the nation’s founding document and concentrating power in the hands of the executive.
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, the party’s ameer, pledged to continue fighting to restore what he described as the constitution’s original integrity after the 27th Constitutional Amendment passed through the Senate on Monday.
Speaking to members of the Lahore Bar Association at Aiwan-e-Adl, Rehman said his party had consistently defended the constitution throughout Pakistan’s history, but warned that these changes would give the executive branch decisive control over judicial appointments and the distribution of power.
The Amendment proposes four core changes in the Constitution.
Article 199 & 200
The President has the power to transfer High Court judges between provinces on Judicial Commission’s recommendation
A judge refusing transfer shall be deemed retired
Article 248
A new clause grants the President lifetime legal immunity
Article 243
Office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to be abolished from November 27, 2025.
Strategic military authority to be concentrated under the Chief of the Defence Forces.
Officers granted constitutional protection can only be removed through the Article 47 procedure.
Presidential immunity under Article 248 extended to these officers.
Federal Constitutional Courts (New Chapter – Part VII)
FCC to have original jurisdiction in Constitutional disputes between the government and fundamental rights enforcement cases
Pending petitions or appeals in the Supreme Court or its constitutional benches under this jurisdiction are to be transferred to FCC.
Abolishes suo motu powers of SC and deletes Articles 184, 186, and 191A.
