ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a key meeting with a seven-member delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), led by party Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, to discuss the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. The meeting, held at the Prime Minister’s Office, focused on local government empowerment and broader constitutional reforms.
According to an official statement, the MQM-P delegation included Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori, Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, and MNAs Dr Farooq Sattar, Jawed Hanif Khan, Syed Aminul Haque, and Khawaja Izharul Hassan. The prime minister was accompanied by senior government figures including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar.
The meeting centered on the MQM-P’s demand that the 27th Amendment ensure greater autonomy for local governments, a long-standing issue for the party. A day earlier, the MQM-P reiterated that, following the provincial autonomy granted under the 18th Amendment, “the next step naturally is local autonomy.”
MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar emphasized that the party’s proposed “constitutional amendment package” — agreed with the PML-N during the 26th Amendment talks — must now be included in the new amendment. He argued that Article 140A, which mandates provinces to establish local governments, should be revised to give local bodies legislative independence.
“The Constitution is a sacred document, but not divine scripture,” Sattar said, adding that amendments should reflect “the requirements of the time and situation.”
Separately, PM Shehbaz also met Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) President and Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, along with Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Aun Chaudhry, to discuss the amendment.
Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui highlighted that the amendment should also ensure stability in governance and defence structures, proposing constitutional guarantees for the election and tenure of local government heads. “The Constitution should decide that — and the Supreme Court should monitor it,” he asserted.
