Voting Age Rumors’ Rejected Amid Debate Over 28th Amendment

Voting age rumors’ linked to the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment sparked strong political debate on Monday. However, federal ministers rejected claims that the government planned to raise the minimum voting age to 25. Atta Tarar dismissed the reports while speaking to reporters. He said there was no need to respond to unverified claims spreading through media and political circles. The clarification came after earlier remarks by Rana Sanaullah triggered criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups across Pakistan.

Ministers Reject Constitutional Amendment Speculation

Tarar stated that the rumored amendment bill contained no proposal regarding an increase in voting age. In addition, he questioned the source of the circulating reports and described them as baseless speculation. He stressed that the government had not made any official move on the matter.
Meanwhile, Khawaja Asif also denied reports about changing the voting age. During a television interview, he said no such discussion had taken place within the cabinet. He further stated that there had been no formal talks regarding any proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment.
Earlier, Rana Sanaullah had discussed the possibility of future constitutional amendments during a television programme. However, he did not confirm whether the government was actively preparing a new amendment package. Instead, he said political parties continued discussing important constitutional matters.

PPP Calls for Consensus Before Any Amendment

Sanaullah also supported the stance of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari regarding coalition consultation. He admitted that no constitutional amendment could pass without support from the Pakistan Peoples Party. Furthermore, he said consensus-building had not yet started among coalition partners.
Last week, Bilawal said the government had not formally contacted his party regarding any new constitutional amendment. He also warned that both constitutional changes and budget approval would require PPP support in parliament. Meanwhile, Azam Nazeer Tarar rejected reports suggesting that the government was preparing a 28th amendment package.