Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar did not accompany Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his visit to Baku, as he has been tasked with engaging the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Friday.
According to sources, the prime minister instructed Ishaq Dar to stay in the country so that he could chair a cabinet meeting in the prime minister’s absence and continue political consultations with the PPP.
Sources said the government aims to secure the party’s consent for the amendment so that, following cabinet approval today, the 27th Constitutional Amendment could be presented in the Senate tomorrow.
Sources said Ishaq Dar is awaiting the conclusion of the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting and the party’s official response.
If a positive signal is received, an emergency cabinet meeting may be convened, which Dar could chair as deputy prime minister in the prime minister’s absence, sources said.
Government insiders said that if the PPP expresses its agreement, the cabinet could approve the amendment today, paving the way for its formal presentation in the Senate tomorrow.
Officials further clarified that under Clause 20 of the Rules of Business, 1973, the prime minister has the authority to nominate any cabinet member to preside over cabinet meetings in his absence.
It is worth mentioning that a federal cabinet meeting scheduled to be held today (Friday) to approve the draft of the 27th constitutional amendment has been postponed, and a new time for the session will be announced later.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, all the federal ministers have been informed about the postponement of the meeting.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called the cabinet meeting for Friday at 9:45 am in the Parliament House, where the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment was to be presented for approval.
Following cabinet approval, the amendment bill was scheduled to be tabled in the Senate. All cabinet members had been directed to attend the meeting.
The deferment of the cabinet meeting came apparently after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his party’s disagreement with certain proposed clauses of the 27th Constitutional Amendment during a media talk following the PPP Central Executive Council’s (CEC) meeting last night in Karachi.
Speaking to the media, Bilawal said the PPP had rejected the proposed constitutional amendment related to the National Finance Commission (NFC).
He said his party disagreed with any move that would diminish the provinces’ share and added that the PPP would never accept the removal of the constitutional protection granted to the NFC Award.
Bilawal also stressed that all four provinces should have equal representation in the proposed constitutional court.
However, he said the PPP would support the amendment concerning the conferral of the Field Marshal’s position and expressed support for the proposed change in Article 243.
Reporter: Awais Kiyani