Twenty-Seventh Amendment bill revised in Senate with key omissions, alterations

ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 (APP): The Senate on Thursday revised the Twenty-Seventh Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2025, earlier passed by the National Assembly, by omitting five clauses and relisting and amending three out of a total of 59 before its adoption.
The bill, presented by Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, was carried through a two way voting process—by division and clause by clause. The revisions included the removal of clauses 4, 19, 22, 51 and 55, while clause 53 and its sub clauses were relisted and amended as part of the upper house’s effort to reshape the legislation.
Earlier,Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Syed Ali Zafar and Jamait Ulama–e- Islam Fazl (JUI-F ’s) Kamran Murtaza opposed the bill, arguing that two defecting members of their parties had already announced resignations and were therefore not eligible to cast their votes.
Responding to opposition members Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar acknowledged the legal expertise of the opposing senators but emphasized that the interpretation of Article 63 A must remain confined to the Constitution.
He clarified that party references against members are permissible only in three cases: voting against party direction in the election of the Prime Minister or Chief Minister, a vote of no confidence, or on the budget/finance bill or a constitutional amendment.
The law minister clarified that under the Constitution, a party head may issue a declaration against a member, which is then forwarded by the presiding officer to the Election Commission for a hearing, with the right of appeal lying directly before the Supreme Court. He stressed that no member stands disqualified merely because of disagreement with a vote, cautioning that constitutional provisions must not be twisted for political point scoring.
The minister clarified that the declaration, hearing, and final decision under Article 63 A rest with the Election Commission, and until the process is completed, the member legally continues to remain part of the House. The minister reiterated that constitutional obligations must be upheld in letter and spirit, warning that parliamentary traditions should not be undermined through selective interpretations.
Leader of the House Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar informed the Senate that the amendments returned by the National Assembly to the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill represented “corrections and clarifications.” Addressing objections, he acknowledged Senator Ali Zafar’s legal expertise but emphasized that political and constitutional history must be considered in full, pointing out that those now raising procedural concerns had previously “set aside rules in minutes” during a no confidence vote, adding that “no wrong can make a right.”
Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar noted that seven of the eight returned amendments were technical, while one major change strengthened Article 6 to bar any court including the proposed Federal Constitutional Court, Supreme Court or High Courts from validating abrogation or subversion of the Constitution.
The minister stressed that parliamentary tradition requires patience in constitutional debates, noting that senators who skipped committee proceedings could have raised technical corrections during those sessions.
Dar expressed gratitude to both treasury and opposition benches, saying the 27th Constitutional Amendment had successfully undergone scrutiny in both Houses and marked “the completion of an important constitutional chapter.”/APP-rzr-szm