Experts Recommend Holding Referendum on National Charter Alongside Elections on the Same Day: Ali Riaz

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News Desk: A panel of experts has proposed holding a referendum on the National Charter 2025 on the same day as the national elections, according to Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission.

He stated that the proposal is currently under consideration by the commission and may be forwarded to the government as a recommendation. The information was shared with journalists on Wednesday (17 September) after discussions with political parties.

Ali Riaz explained that a special expert panel was formed to gather opinions from political parties on implementing the National Charter 2025. The panel has proposed issuing a “constitutional order” to implement constitution-related reforms. According to the experts, this order could be presented for public approval through a referendum held alongside the next national election. If the referendum receives public consent, the order will be considered valid and effective retroactively from the date of its announcement.

He added, “If public support is obtained through the referendum, the constitutional order will be deemed valid and approved, with its effectiveness considered retroactively from the announcement date.”

The Vice-Chairman noted that political parties have already agreed in principle to implement non-constitutional reforms via executive orders or government directives. However, work is still underway to reach a final consensus on the procedures for implementing constitution-related reforms.

Ali Riaz said that the expert panel’s recommendations have been presented to political parties. While some parties support the proposal, others have expressed differing views. He noted that political parties have requested additional time to discuss and narrow down alternative proposals.

The commission hopes to maintain informal consultations with political parties and finalize a concrete recommendation to submit to the government by early October.