Pakistan’s National Assembly on Wednesday passed the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill with a two-thirds majority amid a ruckus-marred session.
The amendment, aimed at creating the new post of Chief of Defence Forces and establishing a Federal Constitutional Court, had been approved by the Senate a day earlier.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill in the lower house, which approved all 59 clauses despite opposition boycott. Members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, tore copies of the bill and threw them toward the Prime Minister’s chair in protest.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq announced that 234 lawmakers voted in favor and four against.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, and Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari attended the session, which followed a two-day debate.
Opposition PTI members staged a boycott and vowed nationwide protests, although no major demonstrations had taken place at the time. Law Minister Tarar defended the amendment as part of an “evolutionary process” that had undergone thorough review and consultation with bar councils and associations across the country.
Once passed, the bill requires presidential assent, which is expected from President Asif Ali Zardari. The amendment allows the President to appoint the Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces on the advice of the Prime Minister.
It also stipulates the expiry of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee position on November 27, 2025.
The Chief of Army Staff, who will concurrently serve as Chief of Defence Forces, will appoint the head of the National Strategic Command in consultation with the Prime Minister, with the appointee drawn from the Pakistan Army.
The government will also be empowered to promote armed forces personnel to the ranks of Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force, or Admiral of the Fleet, with the rank of Field Marshal being a lifetime position.
Army Chief Asim Munir, promoted to Field Marshal shortly after a four-day conflict with India, is only the second officer in Pakistan’s history to attain the rank, following Field Marshal Ayub Khan.
The amendment also proposes the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court to handle constitutional matters, leaving traditional civil and criminal cases to the Supreme Court.
Opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) has criticized the bill, warning it will create “another elite class” and reduce democracy to a symbolic form.
PTI leaders stated they would not accept the amendment, viewing it as a significant threat to democratic norms.