No Room for More Amendments Declares Bilawal

LAHORE –Opposing further changes to the Constitution, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said that two amendments were enough from one parliament and that there is “no room for more tweaks”.

“The Constitution is not a document that can be changed repeatedly,”

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday said that a country’s economy cannot be run through coercive measures but requires trust, cooperation, and a business-friendly approach.

Bilawal Bhutto said the PPP leadership was keen to learn from Punjab’s business community and welcomed positive suggestions from traders and industrialists.

He noted that history is often presented in a distorted manner and emphasized the constructive role of the business community in national development.

He said the business community plays a vital role in strengthening the national economy, adding that the PPP laid the foundation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Bilawal assured traders of full support in resolving their issues and said China was interested in introducing Pakistani products in its markets.

The PPP chairman reiterated that his party had created export opportunities during its tenure and would continue to play its role in resolving the problems faced by traders.

He expressed pride in Pakistan’s cooperation with China and said the prime minister was also committed to addressing business community concerns. He urged traders to focus on increasing exports and emphasized the need to expand the national tax base.

Bilawal alleged that the previous government attempted to run the economy through forceful measures, reiterating that such an approach could not deliver sustainable growth.

He called for transferring the responsibility of federal sales tax on goods to the provinces and said provinces were ready to meet revenue targets and contribute to federal finances.

He said resolving the country’s economic challenges was not the responsibility of a single province, adding that electricity-related issues were longstanding.

He acknowledged the efforts of the prime minister and his team towards achieving economic stability but highlighted differences over centralization and decentralization.

He also pointed to the development of the Khairpur Economic Zone as an example of successful provincial initiatives.

Bilawal further said that not all economic challenges could be blamed on the IMF, stressing the need to overcome hurdles in establishing economic zones through cooperation with the federal government.

He emphasized that public-private partnerships could expand businesses across provinces, strengthen the private sector, and help build a resilient and sustainable economy by effectively utilizing available resources.

ilawal’s remarks come amid circulating rumours concerning a prospective 28th Constitutional Amendment, which has only been strengthened by remarks made by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah, saying that the legislation would be tabled soon.

The PPP chief’s apparent opposition to further tweaks refers to the 26th and 27th Constitutional amendments passed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led (PML-N) ruling coalition in October and November, respectively.

Although the PML-N enjoys a simple majority via its 131 seats in the National Assembly, the PPP’s support still holds key significance in passing of any future amendments, as 224 votes are required to secure a two-thirds majority for making any changes to the Constitution.

The ruling coalition also includes 22 members from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), five from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (Q), and four from the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP).

Additionally, one member each from the PML-Zia, National Party, and BAP Party, along with four independent lawmakers, back the government.

The opposition holds 89 seats in the lower house of parliament.

In the Senate, the ruling alliance commands 61 members, while the opposition has 35. To pass the amendment in the upper house, the government needs a two-thirds majority — 64 votes in total.

Soon after the recent amendments, which inter alia, created the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), Sanaullah, on November 11, said that the upcoming amendment, 28th, would focus on matters related to education, population, and local governments (LGs).

Bilawal says Sindh can collect surplus GST for Centre

The PM’s aide later repeated his earlier remarks on November 17, saying that if a consensus is achieved, the government can move forward with formally presenting the 28th Amendment in parliament.

Expanding on the issue of the creation of provinces, Bilawal said that before doing so, the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly should be implemented.

“The Senate commission had declared that South Punjab should be made a province.

“First, reach a consensus to make South Punjab a province and then move forward,” the PPP chief remarked, adding that he “cannot even think of dividing Punjab”.

“Before creating more provinces, create those where there is consensus on creating new provinces,” the PPP chairman noted.

“A law on the local government system was made in Punjab, if I had done so in Sindh, people would have opposed it,” he added.

“They cannot digest my presence in Punjab, I tell them to come to Sindh.

“I also say that they should appoint their own governor in Sindh, who has not been appointed yet,” the politician said without taking any names.

Speaking on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bilawal said that he had no personal enmity with the former ruling party’s founder, Imran Khan but that the latter’s method of politics was wrong.

“The province [KP], which is the responsibility of PTI, their government has failed there,” he added.

Highlighting that the PPP will not take any ministries in Punjab, Bilawal said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was doing a good job.