Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that proposals related to the possible 28th Constitutional Amendment are still under discussion, including a suggestion to increase the minimum voting age in Pakistan.
Speaking on Geo News program “Jirga”, the federal minister said that any future constitutional amendment would be referred to as the 28th amendment, as 27 amendments have already been completed, and there is now general consensus that the next package of changes would be numbered accordingly.
“Whatever amendment comes next will be the 28th constitutional amendment. There is no debate on this,” he said.
Rana Sanaullah clarified that discussions regarding the potential amendment would focus only on fundamental and structural issues. He added that there is no proposal under consideration related to the armed forces in the suggested amendment package.
He further said that while some individuals support a presidential system, the majority of political stakeholders agree that Pakistan’s parliamentary democratic system is more suitable for the country.
According to him, several important governance and constitutional matters continue to be discussed, including the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, population distribution, and water resource management.
“These issues are being examined from different perspectives, and discussions are ongoing. If consensus is reached on any of them, implementation would require constitutional amendment,” he explained.
Rana Sanaullah also mentioned that the proposal to increase the voting age is under consideration. He argued that since the minimum age for contesting elections is generally considered to be 25 years, voting should also reflect a level of maturity and responsibility.
He added that voting is a significant civic duty, and therefore the idea of adjusting the voting age is being reviewed within policy discussions.
The minister also responded to political questions regarding consensus among coalition partners, stating that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is not opposed to the government. He referenced PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s statement that no constitutional amendment can be passed without their support.
He emphasized that any future amendment would only proceed once there is broad agreement among all stakeholders.
Rana Sanaullah said that while no final decision has been made, discussions on several constitutional and governance-related issues are ongoing and some matters may require timely decisions in the national interest.
His remarks come amid increasing political debate over possible constitutional reforms and the direction of future amendments in Pakistan’s political system.
