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PPP Seeks Govt Explanation Over Khawaja Asif’s Remarks on 18th Amendment
PPP demands clarification from the government after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif termed the 18th Amendment a “sham”, warning against fresh political experiments.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-21
PPP Seeks Govt Explanation Over Khawaja Asif’s Remarks on 18th Amendment

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Wednesday sought a formal explanation from the government over Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks on the 18th Constitutional Amendment, calling them a serious policy issue.

Speaking during the National Assembly session, senior PPP leader Naveed Qamar said that Khawaja Asif had linked the Gul Plaza tragedy in Karachi with the 18th Amendment in his statement a day earlier.

“We will consider the statement of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary leader as the government’s policy statement,” Qamar said.

He warned that repeated political “experiments” had caused irreparable damage to the country.

“Many experiments have been conducted in this country. Every experiment resulted in the country being divided,” he said, urging the federation to stop further experimentation.

Responding to the criticism, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar distanced the government from the defence minister’s remarks, terming them a personal opinion.

“We all have personal opinions, and they should be treated as such,” Tarar said, adding that all decisions are taken with the consent of parliament.

The controversy arose after Khawaja Asif stated on Tuesday that the 18th Amendment had proven to be a sham, arguing that excessive powers had been transferred to provincial governments.

He had claimed that incidents occurring in Karachi, including the Gul Plaza tragedy, highlighted the need to transfer powers to the lower tiers of governance.

The 18th Amendment, passed in 2010, significantly enhanced provincial autonomy and remains a sensitive and contentious issue among political parties, particularly the PPP, which considers it a cornerstone of the federation.
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