As the Senate passed the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar described it as a “landmark step” agreed upon under the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and finalised after years of cross-party deliberations.
Speaking during the Senate session, Dar said that work on the amendment originally began in 2002 and that the new law maintains the seniority of Supreme Court judges while introducing procedural changes related to their transfers.
“Seniority of Supreme Court judges will remain intact. Changes have only been made in the matter of transfers of judges, and all of them were brought through this amendment,” he said.
Dar expressed gratitude to all political parties and independent members who supported the bill, noting that it reflected “collective wisdom and mutual understanding” across the political spectrum. “We advised the government to bring this bill in the Senate. The committees of both houses worked on it together, and many amendments were made and carefully considered,” he added.
The minister explained that the initial draft of the amendment was wide-ranging, covering issues from the National Finance Commission (NFC) to education and population management.
“Negotiations were held with the People’s Party on matters related to NFC, and they took the matters to their Central Executive Committee for consultation,” Dar said, emphasizing that the process was rooted in cooperation and institutional dialogue.
He also credited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for advancing the discussions beyond the negotiation stage. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the matters beyond discussions and expanded the scope of reforms,” Dar noted, adding that the government was committed to addressing challenges “from health to education to population” through continued dialogue and consensus.
