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27TH CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND CLEARS SENATE AMID ‘UPROAR, DEFECTIONS AND DEEPENING POLITICAL RIFTS’ Tuesday, 11 November, 2025 | 19 Jamadiul Awwal, 1447
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BILL SET FOR NA TABLING TODAY AFTER STORMY SENATE APPROVAL SPARKS NATIONWIDE DEBATE
TWO OPPOSITION DEFECTIONS SECURE CRUCIAL TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY IN UPPER HOUSE
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Profit
TREASURY–OPPOSITION CLASHES TRIGGER CHAOS AS LAWMAKERS TRADE SLOGANS, ACCUSATIONS ANP, MQM PROPOSALS DEFERRED; GOVT VOWS BROADER CONSULTATION WITH PROVINCES
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ISLAMABAD
saleem Jadoon
The government on Monday pushed the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment through the Senate with an emphatic 64-vote majority, securing the crucial two-thirds support it needed after weeks of political turbulence, fierce objections from the opposition and acrimonious scenes inside the upper house. The amendment — one of the most consequential constitutional overhauls in recent years — passed after dramatic procedural
Govt tables 27th Amendment in NA after Senate approval today ISLAMABAD
staff report
The government is set to table the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment bill in tomorrow’s National Assembly session after it successfully sailed through the Senate on Monday, securing a two-thirds majority following the defection of two opposition members. A notification from the NA Secretariat confirmed that Law
Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar will formally present the bill, which has been the center of political debate for weeks. Today’s National Assembly session, however, was marred by ruckus from both treasury and opposition benches, leading to an early adjournment. During the session, PPP MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf faced disruptions from the opposition as he addressed the house on presidential immunity, a measure he said was standard prac-
tice in many countries. Ashraf criticized opposition members for raising objections despite having violated constitutional norms themselves. PTI lawmakers responded with slogans of “Go Zardari go” and “Long live Imran Khan”, also mocking Ashraf as “Raja Rental.” Following Ashraf, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl MNA Aliya Kamran questioned the need for haste, noting that all stakeholders had not been consulted.
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 125 | 8 Pages | Karachi Edition
PPP’S ASHRAF DEFENDS PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY; PTI BENCHES RESPOND WITH UPROAR
WALKOUTS, TORN BILL COPIES MARK SENATE SPECTACLE BEFORE SMOOTH FINAL VOTE
voting, loud sloganeering, torn copies of the bill hurled towards the treasury benches, and a walkout by nearly the entire opposition, which accused the government of forcing through a measure that would reshape Pakistan’s judicial and military command structures without national consensus. The ruling coalition’s victory hinged on the defection of two opposition senators, allowing the amendment to comfortably cross the 64-vote threshold required in the 100-member house. The government now moves to the final
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COMMITTEES CLEAR AMENDMENT WITH ‘MINOR TWEAKS’ AMID OPPOSITION BOYCOTT
DAR SAYS ARTICLE 243 CHANGES ‘AMICABLY SETTLED’ AS DEBATE OVER CIVIL, MILITARY BALANCE INTENSIFIES
stage: securing passage in the National Assembly, where it already enjoys a two-thirds majority. Yet Monday’s proceedings — charged, chaotic and politically revealing — also exposed widening cracks in several political parties, signalled intra-party dissent, and raised questions about the longterm implications of new constitutional arrangements, including the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court, alterations to Article 243, and the formal constitutional recognition of a five-star field marshal rank.
Opposition protests, torn papers and walkout clear the way The Senate session, presided over by Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, witnessed heated scenes even before Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar rose to present the bill. Opposition lawmakers rose from their seats shouting slogans, accusing the government of upending constitutional traditions, and casting the amendment as an assault on the judiciary and an attempt to shield specific offices from accountability.
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Ex-legal ‘giants’ urge chief justice of Pakistan to summon full court meeting over 27th Amendment ISLAMABAD
staff report
As the government advances toward the passage of the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, a coalition of senior judges and top legal experts has formally urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Yahya Afridi, to convene a full court session to deliberate on the legisla-
tion’s implications. This call was articulated in a letter dated November 9 and penned by senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi, the letter was also endorsed by former Supreme Court senior puisne judge retired Justice Mushir Alam, ex-Sindh High Court judge retired Justice Nadeem Akhtar, along with nine other prominent legal figures.
The letter begins by emphasizing the unprecedented gravity of the moment, stating that, “we are witnessing the greatest threat to the Supreme Court of Pakistan since its establishment in 1956.” It describes the proposed 27th Amendment Act as “the most radical restructuring of the Federal Appellate Court system since the enactment of the Government of India Act, 1935.”