Faisal Shiekh

ISLAMABAD, Nov 10 (DNA): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser on Monday strongly condemned the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate, terming it a “dark day in Pakistan’s constitutional and democratic history.”

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser said that by supporting the 27th Amendment, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has “buried the very Constitution crafted by his grandfather, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.” He accused the government and its allies of trampling democratic values and betraying the legacy of the 1973 Constitution.

“The so-called champions of democracy have murdered democracy today,” Qaiser remarked. “This amendment does not represent the will of the people. It represents the will of the few who wish to consolidate power and weaken the federation.”

He said the PTI would resist the amendment at all costs when it comes to the National Assembly, adding that it was the duty of all parliamentarians to defend the Constitution and protect the rights of provinces. “We will not allow anyone to undo the sacrifices made for parliamentary democracy in Pakistan,” he vowed.

Qaiser maintained that the 27th Amendment, if enacted, would centralize powers and undermine provincial autonomy, which was achieved after decades of political struggle. He urged all democratic forces to stand united against what he termed an “attack on the spirit of federalism and the Constitution.”

“The passage of this bill in the Senate is a sad reflection of how far our political class has drifted from the ideals of Bhutto, Bacha Khan, and other democratic icons,” he concluded.