PM Shehbaz 'cancels' foreign trip amid proposed constitutional amendments

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s scheduled trip to Samoa on Tuesday has been cancelled due to the ongoing political situation and constitutional amendments, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the Prime Minister was set to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on October 24-25, but his trip has been called off.

In his place, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will likely represent Pakistan at the summit. If the constitutional amendments are passed, Foreign Minister Dar is expected to leave for Samoa on Sunday night, sources said.

Earlier, King Charles III formally invited the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, scheduled for October 2024.

In a separate development, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the draft of constitutional package will be presented before the federal cabinet today (Sunday) for formal approval.

Talking to media in Islamabad, along with Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, he said proposals of JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have been incorporated in the draft.

READ: ‘Two PTI senators may defy party policy on constitutional amendments’

The Law Minister said he apprised the Federal Cabinet about the threadbare discussion on the constitutional amendment. He said the stance of the allied parties was also presented in the cabinet meeting.

Yesterday, after a series of meetings at Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence in Islamabad and delayed starts of the National Assembly and Senate sessions, the presentation of the constitutional amendments draft was deffered to Sunday (today).

Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s residence remained the centre of attention throughout Saturday as it was visited by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, heads of different political parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Balochistan National Party (Mengal) head Akhtar Mengal.