The Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), a multi-party opposition alliance, on Saturday announced a countrywide protest movement against the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying the campaign will begin from Sunday to mobilise the nation against what they called an attack on the Constitution.
The announcement was made at a joint news conference by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, head of the TTAP and a nominated opposition leader in the National Assembly, and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, the nominated opposition leader in the Senate and vice-chair of the movement.
“Democratic institutions have been paralysed within Pakistan… the nation must step up against the [proposed] 27th Amendment,” Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Nasir Abbas said.
He said the amendment would make the powerful “more powerful” and called on citizens to oppose the “black and dark” measure.
He told supporters the campaign would start at 8:30pm on Sunday with a unifying slogan and continued protests thereafter.
Apart from MWM, the alliance also includes the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
PkMAP’s chief Achakzai said the amendment amounted to tampering with the social contract between the state and its citizens.
“We have taken an oath five times to protect the Constitution,” he said, accusing the government of undermining parliamentary debate and treating the legislature as a debating society rather than a decision-making body.
He added that the opposition had no choice but to launch the movement and appealed to all patriotic parties, personalities and groups to join.
Both leaders outlined planned protest themes, including the slogans “jamhuriyat zindabad, aamriyat murdabad” (Long live democracy, down with dictatorship) and demands for the release of political prisoners.
Achakzai said the opposition would bring a new slogan each day and vowed to block what he termed the government’s “arrogant” approach, insisting the will of the people and the supremacy of the Constitution must prevail.
The protest announcement follows the government’s move to table the 27th Constitutional Amendment in the Senate, which seeks sweeping changes to the military and judicial systems.
