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• Bill proposes constitutional court, changes to high court judge appointments
• Army chief to be recognised as chief of defence forces; office of CJCSC to be abolished
• President to get lifetime immunity from arrest, criminal proceedings
• Senate likely to pass bill today
ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday tabled the much-debated 27th Amendment Bill in the Senate, triggering an outcry from the opposition over the pace and scope of the proposed changes.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced the 26-page bill — which will be called Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Act, 2025, after its passage — just hours after its approval by the federal cabinet.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over the cabinet meeting via video link from Baku, where he had travelled with Field Marshal Asim Munir to attend Azerbaijan’s Victory Day ceremony.
The bill, referred by Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani to the upper house committee on law and justice with the direction to hold a joint meeting with its National Assembly counterpart, proposes the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court, changes to the appointment process for high court judges, a higher cap on provincial cabinets, and changes to the military leadership structure.
In an unusual move, the Senate was reconvened on Saturday and scheduled to meet at 11:30am, but proceedings were delayed by around one and half an hour while the cabinet’s approval was awaited.
While the Senate was still in session, the law and justice committees of both houses held a joint in-camera meeting to consider the bill. The meeting was boycotted by JUI-F and PTI lawmakers.
In yet another rare move, the Senate will meet today (Sunday) at 3pm with a one-point agenda to “consider” the bill, demonstrating extraordinary haste to pass the amendments.
PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar argued that the debate on the bill was inappropriate in the absence of a notified leader of the opposition. He accused the government and its allies of being in a “hurry” to pass the amendments and suggested turning the Senate into a committee of the whole to discuss the draft.
Bill’s features
Explaining salient features of the bill, the law minister said the idea of the FCC had been agreed upon in the 2006 Charter of Democracy signed by the PPP and PML-N. He said the proposed court, comprising judges from all provinces, would hear constitutional matters, while the existing superior courts would continue to deal with other cases.
“During consultations on the 26th Amendment, some of our friends suggested we should … instead experiment with constitutional benches,” he recalled. Those benches, he said, had not reduced the backlog because judges sitting on them were also burdened with routine cases. “The fact of the matter is that five to six per cent of the cases take 40pc of the court’s time,” he added.
Turning to Article 243, which states that the federal government “shall have control and command of the armed forces”, the minister said certain clauses were being inserted.
He confirmed that Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Staff Asim Munir had been awarded the title of field marshal. “This is a title, not a rank, not an appointment as such … whereas army chief is an appointment with a five-year tenure,” he said.
Moreover, the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) would be abolished from Nov 27 after the incumbent retires. No new CJCSC would be appointed, as the COAS would assume the role of chief of defence forces.
The bill also proposes that the prime minister, on the COAS’s recommendation, will appoint the commander of the National Strategic Command.
Reading from the bill, Mr Tarar said: “Where the federal government promotes a member of the armed forces to the (five-star) rank of field marshal, marshal of the air force or admiral of the fleet, such officer shall retain the rank, privileges and remain in uniform for life.
After their terms complete, the federal government will determine their responsibilities “in the interest of the state”.
The bill also seeks to amend Article 248 to grant lifetime immunity to the president from any criminal proceedings or arrest — a protection that will continue to apply to governors only during their terms in office. Under the existing provision, both the president and governors are protected from prosecution only for the duration of their tenure.
On Senate elections, Mr Tarar noted that polls in KP were held after a delay of more than a year, and that the first order of business after any Senate election was the choice of chairman and deputy chairman. To avoid future disputes, he said, a clarifying clause had been introduced in the bill.
The minister said the draft also proposes raising the constitutional limit on provincial cabinets from 11pc to 13pc of a house’s membership.
‘Attack on Constitution’
Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, nominated by the PTI as leader of the opposition, questioned why such sweeping amendments were being brought in haste “in the absence of consensus”.
He denounced the bill as an “attack on the Constitution”, alleging that the present parliament was not truly representative of the people but “a product of Form 47” — a reference to alleged rigging in the 2024 general elections. He claimed the changes were designed to “disable the judiciary”.
“We reject this dance to the tune of the powerful in the shape of these amendments. Have there been any amendments for the betterment of those who live in abject poverty?” he asked.
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza said the 26th Amendment was effectively being reversed just 13 months after its passage.
Senator Sherry Rehman of PPP said that if the federation is now unable to meet its expenses, “we can all sit and figure out where the money is being wasted, not by cuts in the provinces”.
“The PPP has always stood firm in defending the Constitution, the 18th Amendment and the rights of the federating units — and we continue to do so today. This bill does not in any way dilute the spirit of the 18th Amendment or undermine the foundations of the 1973 Constitution,” she insisted. “Nothing is being reversed.”
Awami National Party chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan said his party would support any move “in favour of the masses” and stressed that it was the government’s prerogative to legislate. He invited opposition parties to join the parliam-entary committee and “give their best input” on the bill.
Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2025
