Pakistan Constitutional Amendments:
- Thread starter ghazi52
- Start date
Meengla
Elite Member
The Const. Amendment is trying to create 'stability', which Pakistan sorely lacked since Zia's death in 1988 and which Pakistan badly needed. Economic growth can't happen without the stability.
Here is the perspective of Pakistan's business community. Not all are in favor but some, like me, do see the need for stability for Pakistan to progress.
With stakes this high, the business community cannot treat constitutional engineering as a distant political exercise. When power structures shift, markets shake. Yet, when faced with sensitivities and the opaque nature of the proposed amendment, many business leaders chose silence in a debate that could reshape the economic landscape they operate in.
Without taking a hard line for or against the proposed 27th Amendment, several business leaders cautiously urged transparency and broad-based consultation. They warned that hastily rushed sweeping constitutional changes without debate risk deepening public mistrust, unsettling investors and injecting fresh uncertainty into an already fragile economic climate.
“In a country still struggling to stabilise positive sentiments and attract capital for growth, secrecy in public decisions and indecent haste in rewriting the rules of the game are not affordable,” a Punjab-based business leader cautioned privately.
“Historically, Pakistan’s business community may not have championed democratic causes, but decades of navigating shifting political cycles and the requirements of global trade have taught hard lessons,” he noted. “Stable markets need credible democratic institutions, consensus-based governance and broad public legitimacy. Without these, policy cannot endure and investment cannot flow.”
Karachi’s business community has been more candid than Punjab’s in assessing the proposed amendment. Ehsan Malik, former CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, offered a detailed note of response, framing the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a potential reset, one that could strengthen stability, clarify authority, and improve policy continuity. In his view, these are prerequisites for long-term investment and sustainable growth.
A key feature, he noted, is the likely return of over Rs500bn of provincial National Finance Commission (NFC) allocations to the centre. Provinces may counter this resource shortfall by imposing selective new taxes, particularly on services, but the shift aligns with the demands of national security and debt-servicing imperatives. It could also compel provinces to finally broaden their own revenue base and pursue long-avoided agricultural and service-sector taxation reforms.
He also noted that provinces posted a record Rs1 trillion surplus in FY25. If reduced NFC flows coincide with continued International Monetary Fund-mandated surpluses, provincial development budgets will inevitably tighten. However, he suggested that a more centralised, priority-driven development model, especially for Karachi, could improve execution and reduce waste, provided coordination mechanisms are strengthened.
“A clearer constitutional framework, including a formalised institutional role for national security structures, could enhance policy predictability and attract strategic capital from the Gulf and China, where investors value stability over fragmented authority,” he argued. “A proposed Constitutional Court could expedite commercial and regulatory dispute resolution, while selective re-centralisation in education and labour may support a unified skills strategy and strengthen productivity.”
Syed Asad Ali Shah, a leading business commentator and former managing partner of Deloitte Pakistan, was blunt in his assessment. Critical of the 26th Amendment passed last year, he warned that the proposed 27th Amendment would further undermine judicial independence and be an extension of the rule of law and justice. “Such changes would be counterproductive to fair dispensation and good governance, undermine investor confidence and damage the entrepreneurial climate,” he cautioned.
“Moreover, major legislation, especially constitutional amendments, must involve consultations with the private sector and civil society,” he said. “There is no justification for rushing such fundamental changes in the country’s constitution.”
Arif Habib, founder of the Arif Habib Group, said he had yet to review the full text of the proposed amendment. However, based on initial understanding, he did not expect it to unsettle business sentiments and believes it will adjust the NFC framework in favour of the federal government.
Majyd Aziz, former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, lamented the limited access and influence business leaders have in Pakistan’s power corridors. He advised waiting for the formal tabling of the 27th Amendment before forming a definitive view but broadly supported its direction, including a partial rollback of the 18th Amendment.
In his opinion, the 27th Amendment would restructure powers among the pillars of state, increase government efficiency, and curb “the unbridled wastage and plunder of resources by provinces”. If implemented in letter and spirit, he argued, it could boost business confidence.
Shariq Vohra, former president of the Karachi Chamber, criticised the exclusion of business stakeholders from the constitutional reform process. “The draft hasn’t been shared with us, but from what little we know, it appears to centralise power in Islamabad, curtailing provincial authority over the NFC, land regulation, education and population policy,” he said.
“Such concentration will weaken provincial autonomy, shift regulatory approvals to the federal capital, fuel bureaucratic gatekeeping and corruption, and create instability that deters investment, especially for SMEs [small and medium enterprises]. Rather than strengthening democracy and economic governance, it risks ushering in an authoritarian, centralised structure. Major reforms require consultation — not imposition.”
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, November 10th, 2025
Here is the perspective of Pakistan's business community. Not all are in favor but some, like me, do see the need for stability for Pakistan to progress.
Rewriting the rules — a business perspective
‘Stable markets need credible democratic institutions, consensus-based governance and broad public legitimacy.'
www.dawn.com
With stakes this high, the business community cannot treat constitutional engineering as a distant political exercise. When power structures shift, markets shake. Yet, when faced with sensitivities and the opaque nature of the proposed amendment, many business leaders chose silence in a debate that could reshape the economic landscape they operate in.
Without taking a hard line for or against the proposed 27th Amendment, several business leaders cautiously urged transparency and broad-based consultation. They warned that hastily rushed sweeping constitutional changes without debate risk deepening public mistrust, unsettling investors and injecting fresh uncertainty into an already fragile economic climate.
“In a country still struggling to stabilise positive sentiments and attract capital for growth, secrecy in public decisions and indecent haste in rewriting the rules of the game are not affordable,” a Punjab-based business leader cautioned privately.
“Historically, Pakistan’s business community may not have championed democratic causes, but decades of navigating shifting political cycles and the requirements of global trade have taught hard lessons,” he noted. “Stable markets need credible democratic institutions, consensus-based governance and broad public legitimacy. Without these, policy cannot endure and investment cannot flow.”
Despite concerns over productivity and competitiveness, Pakistan’s business sector wields substantial financial muscle and dominates the economic landscape. The country hosts more than 2.5 million registered firms and an estimated 7m informal enterprises, employing over 70 per cent of the non-agricultural urban workforce. As of August 2025, official records show 265,587 registered companies. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ 2025 census counted around 7m informal economic establishments, with 28.5pc of households engaged in home-based work.
Karachi’s business community has been more candid than Punjab’s in assessing the proposed amendment. Ehsan Malik, former CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, offered a detailed note of response, framing the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a potential reset, one that could strengthen stability, clarify authority, and improve policy continuity. In his view, these are prerequisites for long-term investment and sustainable growth.
A key feature, he noted, is the likely return of over Rs500bn of provincial National Finance Commission (NFC) allocations to the centre. Provinces may counter this resource shortfall by imposing selective new taxes, particularly on services, but the shift aligns with the demands of national security and debt-servicing imperatives. It could also compel provinces to finally broaden their own revenue base and pursue long-avoided agricultural and service-sector taxation reforms.
He also noted that provinces posted a record Rs1 trillion surplus in FY25. If reduced NFC flows coincide with continued International Monetary Fund-mandated surpluses, provincial development budgets will inevitably tighten. However, he suggested that a more centralised, priority-driven development model, especially for Karachi, could improve execution and reduce waste, provided coordination mechanisms are strengthened.
“A clearer constitutional framework, including a formalised institutional role for national security structures, could enhance policy predictability and attract strategic capital from the Gulf and China, where investors value stability over fragmented authority,” he argued. “A proposed Constitutional Court could expedite commercial and regulatory dispute resolution, while selective re-centralisation in education and labour may support a unified skills strategy and strengthen productivity.”
Syed Asad Ali Shah, a leading business commentator and former managing partner of Deloitte Pakistan, was blunt in his assessment. Critical of the 26th Amendment passed last year, he warned that the proposed 27th Amendment would further undermine judicial independence and be an extension of the rule of law and justice. “Such changes would be counterproductive to fair dispensation and good governance, undermine investor confidence and damage the entrepreneurial climate,” he cautioned.
“Moreover, major legislation, especially constitutional amendments, must involve consultations with the private sector and civil society,” he said. “There is no justification for rushing such fundamental changes in the country’s constitution.”
Arif Habib, founder of the Arif Habib Group, said he had yet to review the full text of the proposed amendment. However, based on initial understanding, he did not expect it to unsettle business sentiments and believes it will adjust the NFC framework in favour of the federal government.
Majyd Aziz, former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, lamented the limited access and influence business leaders have in Pakistan’s power corridors. He advised waiting for the formal tabling of the 27th Amendment before forming a definitive view but broadly supported its direction, including a partial rollback of the 18th Amendment.
In his opinion, the 27th Amendment would restructure powers among the pillars of state, increase government efficiency, and curb “the unbridled wastage and plunder of resources by provinces”. If implemented in letter and spirit, he argued, it could boost business confidence.
Shariq Vohra, former president of the Karachi Chamber, criticised the exclusion of business stakeholders from the constitutional reform process. “The draft hasn’t been shared with us, but from what little we know, it appears to centralise power in Islamabad, curtailing provincial authority over the NFC, land regulation, education and population policy,” he said.
“Such concentration will weaken provincial autonomy, shift regulatory approvals to the federal capital, fuel bureaucratic gatekeeping and corruption, and create instability that deters investment, especially for SMEs [small and medium enterprises]. Rather than strengthening democracy and economic governance, it risks ushering in an authoritarian, centralised structure. Major reforms require consultation — not imposition.”
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, November 10th, 2025
Forsvaret
Trusted Member
Economic growth cannot happen without the rule of law either.
Meengla
Elite Member
Thanks for the video. Despite short on time, I am watching it. Such a breath of fresh air instead of talking about some nebulous pie in the sky 'Riyasat e Medina' BS!!
Forsvaret
Trusted Member
Can’t even say a sentence without spewing Bughaz-e-Imran as usual.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #891
Law minister tables 27th Constitutional Amendment bill in National Assembly
The historic NA session is being presided over by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq
BR Web Desk
November 11, 2025
Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday tabled ‘The Constitution (Twenty-seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025’ in the National Assembly to amend the Constitution of Pakistan.
The historic NA session is being presided over by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
The bill in the National Assembly has been tabled a day after the Senate on Monday passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment bill with two-thirds majority, as 64 senators voted in its favour during the crucial session, while the opposition staged a walkout.
The bill in the Upper House was also presented by Law Minister Tarar.
The constitutional amendment was passed through clause-by-clause voting, with Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani reading out each amended clause for approval.
All the 59 caluses were approved one-by-one in the House.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #892
Federating units to get equal representation in constitutional court: Tarar
Sharing main features of the bill before the MNAs, the law minister said the 27th Constitutional Amendment envisaged the establishment of the federal constitutional court. He said the federating units will be given equal representation in the constitutional court as per the spirit of the Charter of Democracy. The Islamabad High Court would also be given representation in the federal constitutional court, he added.“The federal constitutional court will hear cases relating to constitutional matters and interpretation of the constitution. The permanent seat of the federal constitutional court shall be at Islamabad,” he said.
Law Minister Tarar said the president may transfer a judge of a high court from one high court to another high court on the recommendations of and on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. For this purpose, the chief justices of both high courts shall also be members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, he maintained.
As per the amendment, the president shall, on advice of the prime minister, appoint the chief of the army staff, concurrently, the chief of the defence forces, he said, adding that the appointment of the chief of air staff and chief of naval staff will be made on the advice of the prime minister.
The office of the chairman joint chiefs of staff committee shall stand abolished with effect from November 27, 2025, he said.
ghazi52
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Thread starter
- #893
The prime minister shall, on the recommendation of the chief of the army staff concurrently the chief of the defense forces, appoint the commander of the national strategic command from the members of Pakistan Army and shall also determine his salaries and allowances.
“While when the federal government promotes a member of the armed forces to the rank of field marshal, marshal of the air force or admiral of the fleet, such officer shall retain the rank, privileges and remain in uniform for life. Upon completion of the term of his command, under the law, the federal government shall determine the responsibilities and duties of field marshal, marshal of the air force or admiral of the fleet in the interest of the state,” he said.
According to the constitutional amendment, Tarar said, no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be initiated or continued against the president for his life and for a governor during his term of office in any court.
“While when the federal government promotes a member of the armed forces to the rank of field marshal, marshal of the air force or admiral of the fleet, such officer shall retain the rank, privileges and remain in uniform for life. Upon completion of the term of his command, under the law, the federal government shall determine the responsibilities and duties of field marshal, marshal of the air force or admiral of the fleet in the interest of the state,” he said.
According to the constitutional amendment, Tarar said, no criminal proceedings whatsoever shall be initiated or continued against the president for his life and for a governor during his term of office in any court.
Yousafzai_M
Registered Member
Patwari bootlickers and faujeets are promoting this farce of 'constitutional' amendment as a source of stability in the country and that the 'business community' is welcoming it.Can’t even say a sentence without spewing Bughaz-e-Imran as usual.
I wonder then why not make Muneera Al Israel chief of defence forces for life, Showbaaz as PM for life, merge the 3 provinces into Punjab and make Plastic bitch the CM for life, Madari can be president for life. They should also have the right to choose their replacement when they die and go to rot in hell.
All so forever stable.
Jango
THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
It's the year 2075.
Field Marshal Junaid Meengla is at the helm. The 69th amendment is incoming.
The people who are getting screwed:
"Yeh Imran Khan ki ghalti hai".
Grow up man.
PakFactor
Elite Member
The Const. Amendment is trying to create 'stability', which Pakistan sorely lacked since Zia's death in 1988 and which Pakistan badly needed. Economic growth can't happen without the stability.
Here is the perspective of Pakistan's business community. Not all are in favor but some, like me, do see the need for stability for Pakistan to progress.
Rewriting the rules — a business perspective
‘Stable markets need credible democratic institutions, consensus-based governance and broad public legitimacy.'www.dawn.com
With stakes this high, the business community cannot treat constitutional engineering as a distant political exercise. When power structures shift, markets shake. Yet, when faced with sensitivities and the opaque nature of the proposed amendment, many business leaders chose silence in a debate that could reshape the economic landscape they operate in.
Without taking a hard line for or against the proposed 27th Amendment, several business leaders cautiously urged transparency and broad-based consultation. They warned that hastily rushed sweeping constitutional changes without debate risk deepening public mistrust, unsettling investors and injecting fresh uncertainty into an already fragile economic climate.
“In a country still struggling to stabilise positive sentiments and attract capital for growth, secrecy in public decisions and indecent haste in rewriting the rules of the game are not affordable,” a Punjab-based business leader cautioned privately.
“Historically, Pakistan’s business community may not have championed democratic causes, but decades of navigating shifting political cycles and the requirements of global trade have taught hard lessons,” he noted. “Stable markets need credible democratic institutions, consensus-based governance and broad public legitimacy. Without these, policy cannot endure and investment cannot flow.”
Despite concerns over productivity and competitiveness, Pakistan’s business sector wields substantial financial muscle and dominates the economic landscape. The country hosts more than 2.5 million registered firms and an estimated 7m informal enterprises, employing over 70 per cent of the non-agricultural urban workforce. As of August 2025, official records show 265,587 registered companies. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ 2025 census counted around 7m informal economic establishments, with 28.5pc of households engaged in home-based work.
Karachi’s business community has been more candid than Punjab’s in assessing the proposed amendment. Ehsan Malik, former CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, offered a detailed note of response, framing the 27th Constitutional Amendment as a potential reset, one that could strengthen stability, clarify authority, and improve policy continuity. In his view, these are prerequisites for long-term investment and sustainable growth.
A key feature, he noted, is the likely return of over Rs500bn of provincial National Finance Commission (NFC) allocations to the centre. Provinces may counter this resource shortfall by imposing selective new taxes, particularly on services, but the shift aligns with the demands of national security and debt-servicing imperatives. It could also compel provinces to finally broaden their own revenue base and pursue long-avoided agricultural and service-sector taxation reforms.
He also noted that provinces posted a record Rs1 trillion surplus in FY25. If reduced NFC flows coincide with continued International Monetary Fund-mandated surpluses, provincial development budgets will inevitably tighten. However, he suggested that a more centralised, priority-driven development model, especially for Karachi, could improve execution and reduce waste, provided coordination mechanisms are strengthened.
“A clearer constitutional framework, including a formalised institutional role for national security structures, could enhance policy predictability and attract strategic capital from the Gulf and China, where investors value stability over fragmented authority,” he argued. “A proposed Constitutional Court could expedite commercial and regulatory dispute resolution, while selective re-centralisation in education and labour may support a unified skills strategy and strengthen productivity.”
Syed Asad Ali Shah, a leading business commentator and former managing partner of Deloitte Pakistan, was blunt in his assessment. Critical of the 26th Amendment passed last year, he warned that the proposed 27th Amendment would further undermine judicial independence and be an extension of the rule of law and justice. “Such changes would be counterproductive to fair dispensation and good governance, undermine investor confidence and damage the entrepreneurial climate,” he cautioned.
“Moreover, major legislation, especially constitutional amendments, must involve consultations with the private sector and civil society,” he said. “There is no justification for rushing such fundamental changes in the country’s constitution.”
Arif Habib, founder of the Arif Habib Group, said he had yet to review the full text of the proposed amendment. However, based on initial understanding, he did not expect it to unsettle business sentiments and believes it will adjust the NFC framework in favour of the federal government.
Majyd Aziz, former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, lamented the limited access and influence business leaders have in Pakistan’s power corridors. He advised waiting for the formal tabling of the 27th Amendment before forming a definitive view but broadly supported its direction, including a partial rollback of the 18th Amendment.
In his opinion, the 27th Amendment would restructure powers among the pillars of state, increase government efficiency, and curb “the unbridled wastage and plunder of resources by provinces”. If implemented in letter and spirit, he argued, it could boost business confidence.
Shariq Vohra, former president of the Karachi Chamber, criticised the exclusion of business stakeholders from the constitutional reform process. “The draft hasn’t been shared with us, but from what little we know, it appears to centralise power in Islamabad, curtailing provincial authority over the NFC, land regulation, education and population policy,” he said.
“Such concentration will weaken provincial autonomy, shift regulatory approvals to the federal capital, fuel bureaucratic gatekeeping and corruption, and create instability that deters investment, especially for SMEs [small and medium enterprises]. Rather than strengthening democracy and economic governance, it risks ushering in an authoritarian, centralised structure. Major reforms require consultation — not imposition.”
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, November 10th, 2025
This does the opposite of building and strengthening business confidence.
An FA pass can arrive tomorrow, have a curry fart, and decide to change the constitution, yeah, it doesn't inspire confidence.
If you're going to do it, all sit down, and the military sit within its own domain and hash out a single piece of document they swear loyalty to, this penchodai from the power corridors every year doesn't help.
Xestan
Trusted Member
Actually, I agree with everything you have said. So, why would you label me bootlicker without even knowing my stance on things? Just because I'm sick of political discussion in threads where we ought to discuss operational aspect of changes in the military structure?
You're worse than cultist because you side with them, knowing fully well that they'd switch sides as soon as their cult leader is out.
Xestan
Trusted Member
What’s there to "analyze"? Can’t you simply read the writing on the wall in this "constitutional" amendment and look for yourself where Pakistan is headed after that?
There will still be Army after Munir and there will still be Pakistan after Taliban Khan. So yeah, there needs to be a discussion what future holds after these changes. I have asked you twice, and you have nothing substantive to add to the discussion. It's still a Defence forum at the end of the day, and all you do here is whine about your cult leader.
Fatman17
Moderator
Killing the Constitution
https://www.dawn.com/news/1954621?utm_source=whatsapp
The hybrid system needs consent to survive. And it gets it from the rubber stamp parliament.
The 26th and 27th amendments are not based on the law but they are a "semblance of the law"
https://www.dawn.com/news/1954621?utm_source=whatsapp
The hybrid system needs consent to survive. And it gets it from the rubber stamp parliament.
The 26th and 27th amendments are not based on the law but they are a "semblance of the law"
Forsvaret
Trusted Member
That’s more like a manufactured "consent".
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