The proposals for amending Article 243 have been approved by the CEC. Bilawal The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has rejected the proposal to change the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award formula

Speaking to the media after the party Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on the 27th Constitutional Amendment, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto said the proposals for amending Article 243 have been approved by the CEC.

Talking about the establishment of the Constitutional Courts, Bilawal Bhutto said that the opinion on the Constitutional Courts is that all four provinces should have equal representation, adding the CEC meeting will decide this issue in a meeting to be held today after Friday prayers in which the final decision on the Constitutional Court will be taken.

President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other PPP leadership attended the meeting.

The members were taken into confidence on the points of the proposed 27th Amendment. Bilawal Bhutto informed the CEC in detail about all the issues.

According to sources, the CEC members mostly discussed the National Finance Commission Award.

The party leadership informed the government of its proposals and its own opinion regarding the provinces’ financial share. The PPP remained steadfast in its long-standing stance on provincial autonomy. Most members did not oppose returning the Population Welfare Department to the federal government, sources revealed.

CEC members voted in support of the proposed draft, the party leadership will talk to stakeholders on some controversial issues, the CEC decided to contact other parliamentary parties, and a dialogue will be held with like-minded parties on the proposed constitutional amendment.

There is harmony between the PPP and the PML-N on the Federal Constitutional Courts. The proposed draft already includes the opinions of the PPP’s legal experts. The PPP’s political committee has also reviewed the proposed draft of the 27th Amendment, sources said.