THE race has begun. As the ruling PML-N tries to build consensus around the proposed 27th amendment and opposition parties struggle to present a united front, a new round of negotiations over what new constitutional amendments will be approved is expected to take place in the coming days.
Tellingly, no draft of the proposed amendment has come to the fore, even though the Prime Minister himself is rallying allies for the vote. This, of course, is unprecedented. Much the same thing happened when the 26th Amendment was being prepared for the vote: Few knew what the legislation contained, but the expectation, given the pressure, was that lawmakers would vote for it, no questions asked. The way the amendment was passed is now part of the historical record. It remains to be seen whether the 27th Amendment will become part of the Constitution in the same way.
It is unfortunate that this has become the new normal. The onerous conditions imposed on parliament for the approval of a constitutional amendment were intended to ensure that the process was treated with the seriousness and sobriety it deserves. The “two-thirds of the total vote” requirement, for example, was established to ensure that the Constitution was not tinkered with and that any changes to it could only be enacted through parliament when there was overwhelming consensus.
A series of unfortunate decisions by the country’s highest court over the past year have all but ensured that those checks and balances have been reduced to minor inconveniences, and that they mostly exist on paper, too. And yet there is such secrecy around the next set of major amendments to the law that the government will not even talk openly about them, let alone organize a debate about their implications.
For now, any legislation to roll back the 18th Amendment has gotten a “no,” not only from the opposition parties, but also from the PPP, whose votes are vital for any amendment to pass. Therefore, we can be a little calmer on this issue.
However, the future of two other institutions is also at stake, and right now it appears that while the government may compromise on repealing the 18th Amendment, it could get its way on the other issues. This way of enacting legislation, “the lesser of two evils”, convinces no one.
For the acceptance and legitimacy of any amendment it remains necessary that it be debated openly and carefully. Therefore, the current regime should not set even a tentative date for the vote until representatives of the public make clear their position. Parliament must not be reduced to a seal of approval for the whims of the powerful.
Published in Dawn, November 8, 2025
