ISLAMABAD: During the recent discussions between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, the PPP put forward major proposals, including lifetime immunity for the president and the abolition of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Under Article 248 of the Constitution, the president already enjoys immunity from criminal proceedings during the term of office. However, the PPP suggested extending this protection beyond the term, proposing that no criminal proceedings — old or new — be instituted or continued against the president even after leaving office. If approved, the amendment would grant lifetime immunity, ensuring complete protection for the head of state.
The PPP also revived its long-standing demand for the abolition of NAB, which was included in the 2006 Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed between the PPP and PML-N. The CoD had committed both parties to replace NAB with a transparent and independent accountability commission functioning under parliamentary oversight.
The final draft of the 27th Amendment will take shape once the parliamentary committee concludes its review and presents recommendations to both the Senate and the National Assembly.
PPP leader Murtaza Wahab, who was part of the negotiation team, confirmed that his party sought to restore constitutional protections under Article 248 to the president, governors, prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers — protections that he said were unlawfully curtailed during the tenure of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Wahab added that while several issues between the two ruling parties have been settled and incorporated into the draft, others, including NAB’s abolition, remain under discussion but have not been dropped. He also emphasized that the PML-N shares the broader vision of eventually dismantling NAB in line with the Charter of Democracy’s commitments.
