ISLAMABAD — Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House Ishaq Dar on Tuesday assured the Senate that the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment is a government-led initiative that will only be tabled after complete consultation with coalition partners.
Presiding over the session in place of Chairman Senate Yusuf Raza Gilani who is currently serving as Acting President Senator Manzoor Ahmad oversaw proceedings that quickly turned heated as lawmakers debated the government’s plan to introduce the amendment.
Responding to an impassioned speech by PTI’s parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar, Dar clarified that the amendment was neither externally influenced nor imposed. “It is a government initiative not something parachuted from elsewhere,” he asserted. “The process will begin in the Senate and then move to the National Assembly to ensure thorough scrutiny and debate.”
Dar emphasized that all coalition partners, including the PPP, MQM, ANP, and BAP, were being taken into confidence. “We will move forward as per the Constitution and the law. Every member will have the right to debate and share their opinion,” he said, adding that the final draft would only be presented once mutual consensus is achieved.
He proposed that the amendment be introduced first in the Senate, citing “number games” in the National Assembly, and confirmed that the bill would be referred to the Law and Justice Committee for detailed review.
Responding to Barrister Zafar’s criticism over the delay in appointing an opposition leader in the upper house, Dar maintained that the appointment was the constitutional responsibility of the Senate chairman. “Once the due process is complete, the chairman will proceed accordingly,” he noted.
Earlier, Zafar had complained that PTI had submitted a formal request for the appointment a week ago but had not received any response. “All proceedings without a leader of the opposition lack legitimacy,” he remarked.
The PTI senator also cited PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s comments questioning whether the amendment truly originated from within the government. In reply, Dar said Bilawal, as a political leader, had the right to express his opinion, and his remarks were “not without reason.”
Reiterating the government’s stance, Dar said, “The 27th Amendment is ours. It is being brought transparently and responsibly. There will be no haste, no rhetoric only due process.” He further stressed that constitutional amendments must be made through consensus and proper parliamentary procedure, not external influence.
During his address, Dar also touched on Pakistan’s diplomatic and security concerns. He revealed that Pakistan had dispatched over 2,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza and was part of a coalition of seven Muslim nations pushing for a ceasefire.
On regional security, he said that Pakistan had repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s interim government to prevent its soil from being used against Pakistan. “If war breaks out, our stance is clear we will fight till the last breath,” he declared. Dar also noted that militant groups such as the banned TTP and BLA continued to operate from across the border and expressed hope for positive developments in the upcoming Pakistan-Afghanistan talks on November 6.
The Senate session, however, grew tense when PTI senators staged a protest over the pending opposition leader’s appointment. They tore up copies of the day’s agenda, chanted slogans, and surrounded the chairman’s dais, briefly disrupting proceedings.
Despite the uproar, the upper house pressed ahead with its legislative business, passing several key bills, including the Daanish Schools Authority Bill 2025, the King Hamad University of Nursing and Associated Medical Sciences Bill 2025, and the Asaan Karobar (Easy Business) Bill 2025. The Senate also approved the Qanun-e-Shahadat (Amendment) Bill 2025 and extended the Virtual Assets Ordinance 2025 by 120 days, on a motion moved by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar.
