Bilawal says no talks held yet on possible 28th Constitutional Amendment

ISLAMABAD: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday denied that any formal discussions had taken place with the federal government regarding a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment, saying he would comment further if any developments emerged in the future.

Addressing the parliamentary party meeting of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal said: “No talks have taken place yet on the 28th Amendment; [but] I do not know about tomorrow.”

During the meeting, the PPP chairman said he had himself spoken about the 27th Constitutional Amendment and maintained that the 26th and 27th amendments had helped strengthen provincial rights.

He said PPP’s efforts ensured representation for all provinces in the Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court.

Bilawal’s remarks came after Barrister Aqeel Malik rejected speculation that any potential 28th Constitutional Amendment would roll back the 18th Amendment.

Speaking on Geo News programme “Capital Talk”, Aqeel Malik said the impression that a future amendment would reverse the 18th Amendment was “extremely false”.

The minister said no official work was currently underway regarding any constitutional amendment, although broader national matters had been discussed previously.

The 18th Constitutional Amendment, passed during the PPP-led government in 2010, has remained a subject of political debate over the years, with various quarters calling for changes to the legislation. However, the PPP has consistently opposed any move to amend it.

Meanwhile, Bilawal also constituted a four-member committee for budget negotiations with the federal government. The committee includes MNAs Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Naveed Qamar, along with senators Saleem Mandviwala and Sherry Rehman.

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According to Bilawal, the federal government would not be able to pass the budget or introduce constitutional amendments without PPP’s support.

The PPP chairman warned that the upcoming federal budget could bring additional hardships for the public, saying inflation continued to affect citizens across the country.

He said political parties also understood public suffering and welcomed relief measures announced by Shehbaz Sharif during difficult economic conditions.

Bilawal added that the prime minister had requested provincial governments to assist the federation in controlling inflation, and said the PPP would cooperate with the federal government to reduce economic pressure on the public.

Commenting on regional developments, Bilawal said no offer had been made to him regarding the Iran-US conflict and negotiations, while expressing hope that future talks between Tehran and Washington would succeed.