Peshawar, November 5, 2025: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday vowed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would strongly resist the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, calling it an attempt to roll back the provincial autonomy enshrined in the 18th Amendment.
“Any move weakening the democratic mandate of the provinces will be resisted,” Afridi told reporters outside Parliament House after a parliamentary party meeting.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is currently seeking broad political consensus on the proposed amendment, which aims to establish a Constitutional Court, amend Article 243 — relating to the supreme command of the armed forces — and revise the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, among other key constitutional changes.
Other proposals under discussion include the introduction of executive magistrates, provisions for judicial transfers, and adjustments to provincial financial protections.
Afridi, however, said the move amounted to “a robbery of provincial autonomy.”
“We will oppose the 27th Constitutional Amendment. It is a direct attack on the rights of the federating units,” he said. “PTI has always stood as the guardian of democracy and the Constitution.”
He claimed that the federal government owed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa its due financial share under the NFC Award.
“Our rightful amount exceeds Rs7.5 billion,” Afridi said. “There will be no compromise on provincial autonomy. The sacrifices of this province for Pakistan must be acknowledged.”
Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also slammed the proposed amendment, warning that it threatened the delicate balance between the federation and the provinces.
“There is unrest across the country because the federation appears to be encroaching upon provincial authority,” he said. “Amending the Constitution is a serious matter.”
Gohar said the 18th Amendment was a hard-won, consensus-based reform that should not be tampered with.
“No government should bring an amendment that divides the judiciary or undermines provincial rights,” he said, warning that altering the NFC Award structure would be “an attack on this very House.”
Separately, PTI lawmakers submitted a resolution in the National Assembly demanding that the KP chief minister be allowed to meet PTI founder Imran Khan, who remains imprisoned in Adiala Jail.
Signed by 34 MNAs, the resolution said that consultation with the PTI founder was a “democratic requirement” given his status as leader of Pakistan’s largest political party.
“This meeting is part of constitutional and democratic consultation, and permission should be granted for the meeting at Adiala Jail,” the resolution stated.
Afridi said he had repeatedly sought a meeting since assuming office.
“When it was not facilitated, I approached the High Court. Parliament is supreme, which is why I deemed it appropriate to submit the resolution here,” he told reporters.
