Federal ministers have rejected speculation of a government plan to raise the minimum voting age to 25 through a proposed 28th constitutional amendment.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed the reports. “Responding to rumours is unnecessary. There are hundreds of different rumours circulating, and it is unclear who is spreading them,” he told reporters.
Tarar added that the rumoured bill did not contain any provisions concerning changes to the minimum voter age.
The clarification followed statements by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, who indicated that the government intended to increase the voting age during talks on the 28th Constitutional Amendment.
Sanaullah stated that whatever legislative change followed would be the 28th Amendment because the 27th was complete. He did not confirm if the amendment was actively under review but mentioned that the issues linked to it were part of a continuous dialogue between political leadership.
Sanaullah also agreed with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari that no constitutional changes could pass without coalition support, confirming that the PPP had not been informed of an immediate amendment package.
He stated that consensus-building had not started and no move would occur without it.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also denied the developments during a television appearance, stating that nothing was in the pipeline and he had no knowledge of any such discussion taking place. When questioned if the cabinet had held talks on a 28th amendment, Asif replied, “absolutely not.”
Earlier, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar reiterated that there were no current signs of a 28th Constitutional Amendment.
He stated that constitutional changes require consultations with coalition partners and stakeholders, adding that ordinary legislation requires dialogue in a coalition setup, making amendments impossible without a consensus.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated that the government had not formally engaged or consulted the PPP regarding new legislative packages or constitutional changes.
