Ishar Dar rejects speculations about getting rid of 18th Amendment

PML-N leader Dar rejected speculations about getting rid of the 18th Amendment!

On Tuesday, the Leader of the House in Senate Ishaq Dar categorically rejected the reports about removing the 18th Amendment from the Constitution.

Speaking on a point of order in the Upper House of the Parliament, Ishaq Dar said that the PML-N and the PPP had signed the Charter of Democracy in 2006 to bring reforms in the affairs related to judiciary and civil-military relations.

“No instructions had been given to the PML-N manifesto committee to review the 18th Amendment,” he said, adding, “I want to make it clear again that the 18th Amendment wasn’t even an issue.”

The PML-N leader said the 18th Amendment had helped restore the Constitution which had been defaced by the dictators – thus achieving one of the basic objectives of the Charter of Democracy.

Recalling his role in preparing the ground and finalising the landmark amendment, Ishaq Dar added that PPP leader Raza Rabbani and he remained active in the process.

“None of the parties had even finalised their election manifestoes,” he said while criticising those spreading the rumours and added that there was no proposal under consideration to dispose of the amendment.

Senator Ishaq Dar also reminded the House that the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award was revised after a long delay in 2009. The Constitution made it clear that the NFC Award must go through a review after every five years but the exercise hadn’t been repeated, the senior PML-N leader regretted.

Dar noted that every political party had the right to advocate for constitutional changes according to its policies and goals.