Opposition alliance rejects 27th Amendment, unveils protest plan for Nov 21

The Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan, rejected the 27th Constitutional Amendment in its entirety, announcing a nationwide Black Day on November 21 and a series of democratic protests aimed at what it described as the ‘restoration of the Constitution to its original form.’

The statement comes a day after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 27th Amendment bill, which is now part of the Constitution, while the meeting also condemned the 26th Constitutional Amendment passed last year in 2024. The declaration followed an emergency meeting of the TTAP, chaired by Mahmood Khan Achakzai in Islamabad on Friday.

The huddle brought together senior leaders of major opposition parties, including Asad Qaiser, Secretary General of TTAP; Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Chairman of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen; Barrister Gohar Khan, Chair of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI); Salman Ikram Raja, Secretary General of PTI; Akhtar Mengal, Chairman of the Balochistan National Party; Zain Shah of the Sindh United Party; Sajid Tarin of the Balochistan National Party; and TTAP Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, among others.

Following the meeting, TTAP issued a strongly worded statement accusing the government of destroying the foundational structure of the Constitution. Describing both the 27th and 26th amendments as an attack on the state’s core pillars, it argued that the changes had “subordinated the judiciary to the executive” and were introduced on a “personal basis.”

Also Read: President accepts resignations of Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Athar Minallah after 27th Amendment row

The alliance alleged that the amendments had effectively crippled the judicial system. “These controversial constitutional amendments have completely paralyzed the judiciary and have practically nullified the authority and existence of the Supreme Court,” the statement read.

The meeting also paid tribute to Supreme Court judges Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, who resigned a day earlier in protest against the 27th Amendment, calling them ‘oath-bound, constitution-loving judges,’ while interpreting their resignations as a ‘resistance against the plunder of the Constitution.’

The opposition bloc warned that no individual or official could be placed above the law, arguing that personal exemptions written into the Constitution violated the Quran and Sunnah, as well as the core principles of democracy, accountability and justice. It said such carve-outs had turned a previously unanimous Constitution into a matter of political contention, calling the amendments a “heinous game” with the country’s unity and security.

Reaffirming its resolve to oppose what it termed “unconstitutional amendments,” TTAP said it would utilise all democratic avenues to restore the Constitution to its original form. The alliance also expressed full support for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Peace Jirga’s recent statement and demanded its immediate implementation.

Announcing the protest plan, the statement said that members of the National Assembly and Senate will march from Parliament House to the Supreme Court on Monday, while a resolution against the recently passed amendment will be tabled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on the same day. TTAP lawmakers in Punjab will also march from the Punjab Assembly to the Lahore High Court.

TTAP further demanded the immediate release of PTI founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, the party’s leadership and workers, as well as activists associated with the Baloch Solidarity Committee. It called for the release of all political prisoners and pledged continued struggle on behalf of workers, farmers, industrialists and marginalized communities “until their rights are fully realised.”

The alliance insisted that the movement would not back down until the Constitution was reinstated in what it described as its “true and original essence.”