Karachi: The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has strongly opposed the proposed changes to the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award that are included in the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The party has made it clear that it will not tolerate any amendments that undermine the autonomy of the provinces.
In a press briefing following a late-night meeting of the PPP CEC on Thursday, party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, alongside senior leaders, declared that the PPP unanimously rejected the proposed modifications to the NFC formula.
“We cannot accept any alterations to the existing NFC formula,” Bilawal asserted.
The PPP CEC meeting focused on the government’s proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which aims to create a Constitutional Court, amend Article 243 (regarding the supreme authority of the armed forces), and introduce several revisions to other parts of the Constitution, including the NFC Award.
Bilawal revealed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had personally approached the PPP leadership to seek their support for the proposed changes. However, despite discussions, the PPP leadership only approved amendments to Article 243 while firmly rejecting all other suggestions.
The PPP leader added that the party would finalize its stance on the proposed Constitutional Court in a subsequent meeting, scheduled after Friday prayers.
The high-level CEC meeting, chaired by former president Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, was attended by key PPP figures, including federal and provincial ministers from Sindh and Balochistan, and governors from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Sources within the party reported that several senior PPP leaders voiced strong concerns over the proposed amendments, especially regarding the potential threat to provincial financial autonomy. These leaders stressed the importance of safeguarding Article 160(3A) and the integrity of the current NFC structure.
According to insiders, most members of the CEC were also opposed to any amendments to the provisions introduced by the 18th Amendment, which significantly empowered the provinces. Before the meeting, PPP leader Shazia Marri had reiterated that her party would not support any constitutional changes that would roll back the provincial powers gained through the 18th Amendment.
The current parliamentary strength of the ruling coalition stands at 237 members in the National Assembly, which is well above the 224 votes required to pass a constitutional amendment. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leads the coalition with 125 seats, followed by PPP with 74, MQM-P with 22, PML-Q with 5, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) with 4, and a few others.
In the Senate, the government bloc holds 61 seats, while the opposition controls 35 seats. To successfully pass the 27th Amendment in the Senate, the ruling coalition will need 64 votes, which could necessitate support from at least three senators from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) or the Awami National Party (ANP).
