ISLAMABAD, November 8: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday said his party would resist any attempt to curtail provincial autonomy under the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, warning that such a move would amount to “usurping the rights guaranteed by the 18th Amendment.”
Addressing reporters in Islamabad, Fazl said that while his party had discussed certain points in principle, it would present a definitive position only after reviewing the amendment’s draft. “The provinces have a constitutional right to an increased NFC award, not a reduced one,” he stated. “If any effort is made to strip those rights, we will strongly oppose it.”
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Fazl said his party had agreed on certain points in principle, but would only comment further once a draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment was presented.https://t.co/NAKncJFSKj
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) November 7, 2025
The remarks came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held consultations with coalition partners to build consensus on the proposed amendment, which is expected to be tabled in the Senate soon.
Commenting on possible changes to Article 243, which governs federal control of the armed forces, Fazl said the proposal should be examined carefully. “If it affects democracy or politics, we will not accept it. If it is purely administrative, we will review it and then decide,” he said.
He cautioned against overreliance on a single institution, calling for “collective thinking” and dialogue among parliament, the security committee, and stakeholders. Referring to past legislative processes, Fazl said the 18th Amendment had been the product of a “consensus-driven and months-long effort” and urged the government to avoid hasty or politically motivated lawmaking.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key government ally, reiterated its opposition to any change in the provinces’ financial share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.
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Announcing the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) decisions, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the party “can never compromise on the financial rights of the provinces,” though it was open to limited amendments to Article 243 involving the creation of new designations within the military structure.
The PPP remained undecided on the proposal to establish a constitutional court, saying further consultations were needed.
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