Sindh Protests Grow: Why Pakistan's 27th Amendment Sparks Constitutional Crisis

The party organised a march on Sunday that began at Jail Road and ended at the local press club, where various leaders addressed the participants, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. PAT President Vasand Thari, Noor Ahmed Katiar, Lal Jarwar, Dr. Rasool Bux Khaskheli, Abdul Qadir Ranto, and others led the march.

Vasand Thari called the 27th Amendment “worse than the post-hybrid system and an attack on democracy.” He accused the rulers of distorting the Constitution, suspending fundamental rights and subjugating the judiciary through the 27th Amendment, enabling them to plunder Sindh's mineral and other resources unchecked.

He termed corporate farming a conspiracy to occupy the lands of the oppressed, saying that millions of acres were being handed over to firms. He pledged to resist any attempts to divide Sindh and stressed that projects like the six canals, Kalabagh Dam and Bhasha Dam were part of a plan to forcibly acquire water of Sindh.

The rally participants adopted resolutions stating that the Constitution had been distorted, fundamental rights suspended, and courts crippled, leading to a constitutional dictatorship. The resolution denounced the lifetime immunity given to the President and Field Marshal under the 27th Amendment, and stressed that it "places them above the state, Islamic law and the 250 million citizens, effectively enforcing a monarchy."

On November 14, Pakistan's opposition alliance, the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), pledged to hold protests through all democratic means for the restoration of the Constitution to its original form after the passage of the controversial 26th and 27th Amendments. The TTAP said that next Friday will be observed as a 'Black Day' in Pakistan.

On November 13, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari signed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was earlier approved by both houses of Parliament. After his approval, the bill has now become part of the constitution.

His approval came after Pakistan's Senate passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment bill after a second round of voting amid opposition's protest. The bill, previously passed by the National Assembly on November 12, comprises 56 clauses and was presented in the Senate in the same form, Pakistan-based 'The Express Tribune' reported.

Initially, the bill was presented in the Senate for voting last Monday and passed the same day. The bill was then referred to the National Assembly, which passed it on Wednesday with some amendments. The proposed legislation was again presented in the senate on Thursday to consider the changes. Pakistan's Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar again tabled the bill in the upper house of Parliament on Thursday.

- IANS