In partnership with
PARLIAMENTARY PANELS ENDORSE DRAFT 27TH AMENDMENT BILL AFTER KEY REVISIONS Monday, 10 November, 2025 | 18 Jamadiul Awwal, 1447
g
g
SHEHBAZ SHARIF ORDERS WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSED IMMUNITY FOR PM
g
Profit
PM HOSTS DINNER FOR GOVT COALITION SENATORS AFTER JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE
TRANSFER OF JUDGES BETWEEN HIGH COURTS, TRANSFER OF CASES FROM ONE HIGH COURT TO ANOTHER, AND AMENDMENTS RELATED TO ARTICLE 243 STILL BEING DISCUSSED
T
ISLAMABAD
g
g
LAWMAKERS OF PTI, JUI-F, AND MWM CONTINUE BOYCOTT OF COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS
PTI LAWMAKERS SAY PROPOSED CHANGES TO CONSTITUTION AKIN TO ‘BURYING IT’
Mian abrar
HE federal government’s efforts to get the 27th Constitutional Amendment passed by both Houses of Parliament gained major momentum as the standing committees of both houses of Parliament on law and justice on Sunday approved, with some revisions, the draft of the Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025. This development came as PM Shehbaz Sharif stepped up efforts to secure consensus on 27th Amendment. The passage of the bill marked another step in what the government describes as an effort to reform the judicial and constitutional framework of the country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised coalition partners for their support in advancing the 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling the achievement a reflection of “national unity and collective resolve”. The premier hosted a dinner of government and coalition senators after a joint parliamentary committee comprising legislators from the Senate and National Assembly’s standing committees on law and justice approved the complete draft of the proposed 27th Amendment, sources told Geo News earlier in the day.
The premier said all allied parties “stood firmly behind the government’s national approach”, adding that the spirit of cooperation had strengthened the federation. “The government and all coalition partners worked together for better governance and harmony among the provinces,” the prime minister remarked, appreciating their role in the amendment’s approval process. He said every milestone achieved under the current government was the outcome of mutual understanding and teamwork between the ruling party and its allies.
Rs 50.00 | Vol XVI No 124 | 48 Pages | Islamabad Edition
“Our diplomatic achievements and Pakistan’s enhanced global standing mirror the unity and coordination among all coalition partners,” he added. The joint session of both the parliamentary parties, co-chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek and MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, reviewed the remaining clauses of the bill after nearly two days of back-to-back meetings. The panels, Naek said, had given him and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar the authority to make technical and linguistic adjustments to a few provisions before
final submission. Naek told reporters that deliberations were still underway on three contentious points — the transfer of judges between high courts, the transfer of cases from one high court to another, and amendments related to Article 243, which defines the command of the armed forces. “Some members raised objections on the judicial transfer clauses, but discussions are ongoing, and we hope consensus will emerge soon,” he said. The proposed amendment bill was tabled in the Senate on Saturday, only hours after receiving federal cabinet approval, triggering a loud protest from the opposition benches. Lawmakers from the PTI, JUI-F, and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) continued their boycott of the committee proceedings on Sunday, criticising what they called an “opaque and rushed process.” Despite the walkout, Tarar said the parliamentary committees had completed “around 85 percent of the work” and were close to finalising the draft for presentation before Parliament. “The prime minister has already directed the withdrawal of clauses proposing legal immunity for the president and prime minister,” he told journalists, stressing that the government sought “broadbased agreement, not confrontation.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
IN TODAY’S ISSUE
ATTENTION Some readers have complained that they are not getting the magazine with their newspaper copy. Please call or WhatsApp us at the following number to register a complaint. Contact: 0307-7338168
Pakistan says Afghan Taliban used talks only to extend ceasefire irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk
ISLAMABAD
staff report
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Sunday said that the Afghan Taliban participated in recent talks with Islamabad only to extend a temporary ceasefire, without taking meaningful steps against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. The talks followed weeks of shuttle diplomacy after deadly clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in October. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed on Friday that negotiations had entered an indefinite phase, although the temporary ceasefire between the two sides remains in effect. “Anyone following the talks mediated by brotherly countries Turkiye and Qatar could easily discern that the Taliban regime was only interested in prolonging the temporary ceasefire, without taking concrete and verifiable action against TTP/FaK and BLA/FaH elements present on Afghan soil,” the FO said in a statement. The terms Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan are used by Pakistan to describe the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Balochistan-based groups, highlighting alleged Indian involvement in destabilization. The FO said that, instead of addressing Pakistan’s core concerns, the Afghan regime attempted to malign Islamabad through hypothetical accusations and “futile arguments” that stalled progress. According to the statement, terrorists fleeing Pakistan after Operation Zarb-i-Azb in 2015 have been sheltered by the Taliban in return for their past support. “These terrorists and their families are now being harboured by the Taliban regime as a payback for their allegiance,” the FO noted. The statement emphasised that Pakistan remains open to dialogue with any government in Kabul but will not negotiate with terrorist groups. Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, terrorist attacks originating from Afghanistan have surged, yet Pakistan maintained restraint and avoided retaliatory action.