Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said that two amendments were enough from one parliament and that there is “no room for more tweaks”.
“The Constitution is not a document that can be changed repeatedly,” Bilawal said while speaking to senior journalists in Lahore.
Bilawal’s remarks come amid circulating rumours concerning a prospective 28th Constitutional Amendment, which has only been strengthened by remarks made by Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah, saying that the legislation would be tabled soon.
The PPP chief’s apparent opposition to further tweaks refers to the 26th and 27th Constitutional amendments passed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led (PML-N) ruling coalition in October and November, respectively.
Expanding on the issue of the creation of provinces, Bilawal said that before doing so, the resolution passed by the Punjab Assembly should be implemented.
“The Senate commission had declared that South Punjab should be made a province.
“First, reach a consensus to make South Punjab a province and then move forward,” the PPP chief remarked, adding that he “cannot even think of dividing Punjab”.
“Before creating more provinces, create those where there is consensus on creating new provinces,” the PPP chairman noted.
“A law on the local government system was made in Punjab, if I had done so in Sindh, people would have opposed it,” he added.
“They cannot digest my presence in Punjab, I tell them to come to Sindh. “I also say that they should appoint their own governor in Sindh, who has not been appointed yet,” the politician said without taking any names.
Speaking on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Bilawal said that he had no personal enmity with the former ruling party’s founder, Imran Khan but that the latter’s method of politics was wrong.
“The province [KP], which is the responsibility of PTI, their government has failed there,” he added.
Highlighting that the PPP will not take any ministries in Punjab, Bilawal said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was doing a good job.
Earlier, Bilawal said that a nation’s economy cannot be driven by force but functions best through mutual trust, goodwill, and cooperation.
Addressing the business community here at Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Office, he added that PPP and the business community have always maintained strong, constructive, and purposeful relations.
Speaking on the GSP Plus status, he highlighted that this policy had led to an 80 percent increase in Pakistan’s exports to Europe, while European exports to Pakistan rose by 60 percent. He noted that historical narratives are often misrepresented, and welcomed the positive and practical suggestions from the business community.
He criticized the approach of previous government that attempted to run the economy through coercion, reiterating that sustainable economic progress can only be achieved through cooperation. He also advocated that responsibility for sales tax on goods should be devolved to the provinces.
He stated that if provincial targets are achieved, they would be prepared to transfer the funds to the federal government, enabling it to overcome its financial challenges. He emphasized that addressing federal economic difficulties is not the burden of any single province.
He noted that the country’s electricity challenges are longstanding and said that the Prime Minister and his team are making sincere efforts to achieve economic stability. He also highlighted the progress of the Khairpur Economic Zone.
He asserted that national challenges cannot be attributed solely to the IMF, acknowledging the difficulties in establishing economic zones, and expressed a commitment to work closely with the federal government to overcome these hurdles. He stressed that the Prime Minister’s genuine intent is to resolve the nation’s problems.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that public-private partnerships would help expand business activity in the provinces and that collaboration with the private sector would strengthen the economy.