ISLAMABAD – The much-anticipated federal cabinet meeting scheduled for today to approved proposed 27th constitutional amendment has been postponed due to the busy schedule of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The meeting, which was expected to approve the 27th Constitutional Amendment, has now been delayed, with a new date yet to be announced.
The 27th Amendment was a key agenda item for today’s session, and its approval was expected to be a significant development.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reportedly consulted with the country’s allied parties, gaining their support for the amendment.
In a recent meeting with the MQM-Pakistan delegation, the Prime Minister assured that the local government bill would be included in the 27th Amendment. Following this assurance, the MQM-Pakistan expressed its support for the constitutional change.
The delay in the cabinet meeting has raised questions about the timing of the amendment’s approval, but it is believed that the prime minister’s consultations with his allies have set the stage for future progress on the matter once the meeting is rescheduled.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has firmly rejected most of the proposals in the 27th Constitutional Amendment, except for the proposed change to Article 243, which governs federal control of the armed forces.
In a media briefing following a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated that his party would not support any changes related to the provinces’ financial share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) formula.
The party has, however, expressed conditional support for a change to Article 243, which pertains to the federal government’s control over the armed forces, a provision that remains a focal point of ongoing constitutional discussions.
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