LAHORE, March 20: Will the opposition parties cooperate with the ruling party for a proposed set of constitutional amendments to give more autonomy to provinces and enhance the powers of the Senate?

The question has become relevant after a sudden change in the political situation, which has widened the gulf between the two sides.

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Salim Saifullah Khan says that the opposition parties will cooperate with the government in the legislation.

If they didn’t, the ruling coalition alone would not be in a position to arrange a two-third majority in parliament to have the amendments adopted, Saifullah said while talking to Dawn on Tuesday.

The Pakistan Muslim League, the Pakistan People’s Party, parties in the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party have representation in a committee which is dealing with the matter.

The minister has been saying that the government would be able to introduce the amendment bill during the current fiscal year.

In the new situation he does not give a timeline.

“I don’t want to give a deadline, but we’ll try to complete the assignment at the earliest possible.”

The minister said it was the first time that the government was going to take such a gigantic leap and give the provinces powers they did not have since the enforcement of the 1973 Constitution. According to him, 25 of the 47 subjects on the Concurrent List could be transferred to the provinces. In addition, he said, the Senate would be given the power it did not have before.

The minister said some people could have some “apprehensions” about the purpose of the constitutional amendments and hence it could take the government some more time to convince them about the need for the proposed amendments.

“We have completed 90 to 95 per cent of the task,” Saifullah Khan said, adding that now he was approaching the relevant quarters to complete the task. —Ashraf Mumtaz