Pakistan trying to reshape authority through 28th Constitutional Amendment: Report

Islamabad: The proposed 28th constitutional amendment is being discussed in Pakistan as a potential attempt to reorder the federation, reshape authority and further concentrate power at the centre, a report has stated.

"If the reported contours of the amendment are accurate, it could weaken provincial autonomy, alter the balance between elected institutions and unelected power centers, and deepen the constitutional instability that Pakistan has been struggling with for years, Paul Antonopoulos wrote in Greek City Times.

"The deeper concern is that this is not just about administrative reform. It appears tied to a broader effort to recalibrate the state in a direction that serves the establishment’s long standing preference for centralized control, manageable political competition, and a weaker provincial voice," he added.

The Pakistani establishment has several reasons to introduce this kind of amendment. One of the reason is to regain leverage over a federation that the 18th Amendment decentralised, particularly when provinces got authority over sectors like health, administration and education. Another reason is to create a constitutional arrangement that is easier to handle from the centre, especially when political uncertainty, coalition fragility, and provincial assertiveness make it difficult to have direct control, according to the report.

"There is also an obvious institutional motive. When civilian governments are weak and fragmented, a centralising constitutional redesign can help power brokers ensure that key decisions remain within a narrower circle. That is why speculation around changes to local government, provincial boundaries, fiscal sharing, and even voting rules has generated such alarm," wrote Antonopoulos.

According to the report, the major effect of 28th constitutional amendment would undermine the trust of provinces. People of smaller provinces of Pakistan already have grievances and any decision viewed as rolling back autonomy could increase isolation in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In addition, the amendment could reduce democratic accountability. According to the report in Greek City Times, if powers are taken away from elected provincial governments and local governments are made more dependent on federal design, people of Pakistan may lose the closest layer of responsive governance, resulting in slower service delivery, more political patronage, and greater distance between the authorities and common people.

Last month, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had expressed grave concern over the shrinking of civic space, the erosion of judicial independence, and deepening insecurity across the country over the past one year.

In its latest report, ‘State of Human Rights in 2025', the HRCP documented that in Pakistan, the right to freedom of expression — particularly to question authority and demand accountability — was significantly suppressed in 2025, with far-reaching consequences for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.

“Worryingly, legal and institutional mechanisms were increasingly used to curb dissent. Amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, alongside the use of sedition and anti-terrorism laws, led to the widespread targeting of journalists, political workers, activists, and lawyers. Reports of intimidation, enforced disappearances, and restrictions on movement contributed to a climate of fear and self-censorship, limiting public discourse and obscuring human rights violations," the report stated.

The HRCP noted that amendments to Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 at the federal and provincial levels, particularly in Balochistan, allowed law enforcement agencies and even the armed forces to detain any person for up to three months without charge or judicial oversight, expanding the scope for arbitrary detention while undermining protections of liberty and due process.

The report highlighted a marked deterioration in judicial independence across Pakistan, particularly following the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which “reconfigured judicial appointments and expanded executive influence”.

It added that key court decisions in 2025 further narrowed democratic space, raising serious concerns about due process and the separation of powers. These included rulings that allowed the military trials of civilians and effectively stripped the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of the reserved seats it had been granted in 2024.

Highlighting that security challenges compounded human rights violations in Pakistan, the report said that militancy and counterterrorism operations disproportionately affected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, resulting in significant civilian and law enforcement casualties.