Barrister Aqeel Malik: 28th Amendment Will Not Undo 18th Amendment

Barrister Aqeel Malik – (Web Desk) – Pakistan’s State Minister for Law, Barrister Aqeel Malik, has strongly denied that the proposed 28th Amendment would roll back the 18th Amendment, calling such claims completely false.

Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, Malik said the impression being spread about the 28th Amendment reversing provincial powers is misleading and has no basis in reality.

The debate has picked up pace amid reports that a new constitutional amendment may be introduced around Eid ul Adha, expected on May 27.

The 18th Amendment, passed in 2010 under a PPP-led government, transferred key powers to provinces — including health, education, social welfare, and local government affairs.

Malik confirmed that no formal work on any amendment is currently in progress. However, he admitted that national issues like a single curriculum, the NFC Award, and Article 140A on local governments have come up in broader discussions before.

PPP leader Agha Rafiullah issued a firm warning, saying any attempt to reverse the 18th Amendment could trigger serious unrest. He urged that any constitutional change must come through public consensus, not pressure.

PTI Senator Barrister Ali Zafar noted that PPP and PML-N have a history of staged disagreements. But he agreed that touching the 18th Amendment would be political suicide for the PPP, making any deal on this point unlikely.