Despite bold claims about the finalization of the controversial 26th constitutional amendment, serious disagreements among opposition members have come to light.
Minutes after Raja Pervez Ashraf from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced that the committee had completed the draft of the bill unanimously, members Shahida Akhtar Ali from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and Amir Dogar from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) quickly left the meeting, hiding their drafts under their arms.
Dogar accused Raja Ashraf of lying, stating that he and Shahida left with their party’s drafts, and claimed that Ashraf falsely reported a consensus on the controversial draft. Senator Aimal Wali Khan from the Awami National Party (ANP) also walked out, calling the draft highly controversial.
In contrast, Khurshid Shah stated that the special committee had approved the draft “unanimously” during its last meeting and mentioned that it would be presented to the cabinet soon. He emphasized that the draft had consensus, especially about allowing overseas Pakistanis to contest elections, even though some coalition party proposals were left out.
Sources indicated that ANP boycotted the meeting, and members from PTI and JUI-F strongly opposed the draft. ANP’s suggestion to rename Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to “Pakhtunkhwa” was rejected, leading to Aimal Wali Khan’s exit.
Despite pushback, key leaders from PML-N, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, moved forward with a joint draft.
Following the meeting, Khursheed Shah reiterated that the bill had been unanimously accepted and confirmed that it was now sent to the federal cabinet for approval. He noted that the package would only be introduced in parliament after cabinet approval.
