Cabinet expected to approve 27th Amendment draft Friday

ISLAMABAD: A federal cabinet meeting is expected to be held on Friday (tomorrow) where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team will deliberate upon and approve the 27th Amendment draft, sources said Thursday

The report came as the PPP Central Committee is meeting in Karachi on Thursday (today) to ascertain the party leaders views on the latest constitutional amendment, covering a wide range of issues.

On the other hand, the sources also said that the 27th Amendment Bill would be tabled in the Senate on Friday, as the government wants to see the move sail through the Parliament next week.

Read more: Govt presses for amendment, won’t ‘touch’ provincial autonomy

Later, the Senate is also going to approve formation of joint committee with the National Assembly, which will have to two days to finalise its recommendations.

This confidence on the part of the government is due to the fact that the ruling alliance already has the required numbers — 224 — in the National Assembly.

However, things are a little complicated in the Senate with the ruling alliance having 61 senators. But the government is confident of getting the support of three ANP members.

And on Thursday, ANP chief Aimal Wali was among those who held separate meetings with Shehbaz.

Interestingly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman isn’t on the centre stage this time round unlike the importance he had at the time the 26th Amendment was presented.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND OTHER DEMANDS

Earlier, State Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Ahmed told a private TV channel that holding the the provinces accountable is also important given that the federal government bears most of the country’s financial burden.

“The Constitution is not a sacred text and can be amended according to time and necessity,” he remarked.

Amid the ongoing consultations, an MQM-P delegation called on Shehbaz on Thursday and pressed the case for inserting provisions in the proposed 27th Amendment that would grant greater powers to local governments.

Read more: No one should be shocked, surprised by amendment: MQM-P

A day earlier the MQM-P on Wednesday stressed the need for legal guarantees and enhanced powers for local governments, as Farooq Sattar said no one should be worried and shocked by the proposed constitutional amendment.

Separately, a PML-Q delegation led by Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain also held a meeting with the prime minister and discussed the constitutional issues.

Meanwhile, Khalid Magsi and Senator Manzoor Kakar of BAP also called on Shehbaz and presented their party’s demands.

It’s a developing story. Details to follow.