ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Saturday formally introduced the Constitution (27 Amendment) Bill, 2025 in the Senate. The Amendment elevates COAS General Asim Munir to lifetime Field Marshal, revocable only by parliament, abolishes the CJCSC post on November 27, merges it into COAS as Chief of Defence Forces and lets the prime minister appoint the National Strategic Command chief solely on the Army Chief’s recommendation.
Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani immediately referred the proposed legislation to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice with directions that the National Assembly’s corresponding committee be invited and both chairmen co-chair the proceedings.
Explaining key features of the 27th Amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Article 243, which vests control and command of the armed forces in the federal government, was being clarified. He announced that Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir had been awarded the lifetime honorary title of Field Marshal – a distinction, not a rank or appointment, carrying no fixed tenure unlike the five-year COAS post. Similar lifetime titles – Marshal of the Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet – were being introduced for national heroes across the three services, revocable only by parliament. Upon completion of command, the federal government would assign state-interest duties to such title-holders, who would retain rank, privileges and uniform for life.
Tarar announced that the office of CJCSC would stand abolished from November 27; the present incumbent would complete his term with no fresh appointment, as the COAS would simultaneously serve as Chief of Defence Forces. The prime minister, on the recommendation of COAS, would appoint the commander of the National Strategic Command.
Fulfilling the 2006 Charter of Democracy pledge, a Federal Constitutional Court comprising the senior-most judges from all provinces would be established to hear only constitutional matters, freeing regular courts from cases that currently consume 40 per cent of judicial time, the law minister said. The much-criticised “courts within courts” experiment of constitutional benches under the 26th Amendment had proved the need for a permanent solution, he added.
He said executive influence was being eliminated on judicial transfers. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan would now decide High Court judge transfers, with the safeguard that no judge senior to a sitting chief justice could be moved. To prevent repeat of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senate election delay that left the Upper House without a chairman and deputy chairman for over a year, a new clause ensures smooth leadership elections irrespective of poll schedules. Provincial cabinet size limit rises from 11 per cent to 13 per cent and advisers from five to seven, addressing demands from all the provinces except Punjab. The bill contains 49 clauses covering three basic and two supplementary areas.
He said the draft 27th Constitutional Amendment now grants the President and the prime minister immunity from prosecution and arrest, ensuring no case can be filed against them.
At the insistence of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the draft 27th Constitutional Amendment now grants the President lifetime immunity from prosecution and arrest, ensuring no case can ever be filed against him — either during or after his tenure.
A new clause inserted into Article 248 extends this blanket protection permanently for the President alone. Currently, Article 248 shields both the President and provincial governors from criminal proceedings, arrest, or imprisonment only while they remain in office. Under the proposed change, governors retain temporary immunity, but the President’s shield becomes lifelong.
Separately, during the joint committee session, government Senators Anusha Rehman and Tahir Khalil Sindhu tabled another amendment to add the prime minister to Article 248, granting the premier the same in-office immunity from criminal prosecution that the president already enjoys. If passed, no criminal case could be initiated or continued against a sitting prime minister. As the session resumed, Tarar sought suspension of regular business to brief the House. PTI parliamentary leader Senator Barrister Ali Zafar protested that the opposition leader’s seat remained vacant and senators had received the draft only moments earlier, rendering meaningful discussion impossible. He demanded the entire Senate be declared a committee-of-the-whole for transparent debate.
Leader of the House Ishaq Dar responded that clause-by-clause scrutiny would occur in the Standing Committee and appointment of the opposition leader was exclusively the chairman Senate’s prerogative. The bill now stands referred for detailed examination.
Earlier, PPP Parliamentary Leader, Sherry Rehman, underlined the need for national consensus and constitutional integrity while speaking on the 27th Constitutional Amendment. She brushed aside the impression that the 18th Constitutional Amendment was being reversed.
Senator Sherry Rehman declared: “Thanks to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, we openly debated the constitutional rights. This bill neither dilutes the 18th Amendment nor reverses any gains; it is about fair resource distribution, not ideology.” She remarked, “Now if the federation is not able to meet its expenses we can all sit and figure out where the money is going in waste, not by cuts on the provinces. Out of a huge budget of Rs17.5 trillion rupees, just the SOEs drained Rs5.8 trillion out of that budget. Why are these expenditures not being checked”. She recalled the Charter of Democracy, signed between the PPP and PMLN, as a historic covenant to protect Pakistan’s democratic order. “The Constitutional Court was the first promise in the charter of democracy. I would request the government to ensure that other issues agreed upon by our leaders be implemented too,” she remarked.
Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, who has been nominated as opposition leader by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, sought the wisdom of rushing amendments in haste without consensus. The MWM leader said that this constitutional amendment is an attack on the Constitution as the parliament is not a representative of the people but is a product of Form 47.
Declaring “the secretive draft as theft in the dark”, Nasir Abbas said no matter how elegantly the English is crafted, these amendments cripple the judiciary and render the Constitution irrelevant. He said he became an orphan when his father died of a heart attack as he could not bear the country’s split on December 16, 1971. “Never again,” he vowed.
Senator Kamran Murtaza said the 1973 Constitution was meant for generations, not for a few favourites and advised against fiddling with that. He said they could not support an amendment being enacted by gaining a two-thirds majority through a disputed election. He said, “In just 13 months you are undoing the 26th Amendment. Weeks of talks have been wasted and there is no more trust. Is the 28th Amendment next, as Faisal Vawda boasts?”
Speaking next, Awami National Party President Senator Aimal Wali Khan declared: “We will back any move that truly serves the masses. Legislation is the government’s prerogative, but it must be the very best.” He demanded: “Real government is local government—give Pakistan the strongest local bodies system.” Slamming the PTI, he said: “Their only agenda is freeing one thief. Their intentions are rotten.” He invited all opposition parties to join the parliamentary committee and contribute positively, while blasting the PTI for flip-flopping during the 26th Amendment. He renewed ANP’s call to rename Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as “Pakhtunkhwa”, arguing: “Khyber is just one district, like Sahiwal in Punjab. We stand with the government like a rock wherever our voice is respected.” Later, the House was adjourned to reconvene at 3:00 pm on Sunday (today).
Meanwhile, the government reaffirmed its commitment to continue consultations on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment until consensus is achieved, as leaders from the ruling coalition and opposition parties presented differing perspectives on the draft legislation during and after a joint meeting of the Senate and National Assembly Standing Committees on Law and Justice.
The joint meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chairman Senate Committee on Law and Justice Senator Farooq H. Naek and was attended by Chairman Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Law and Justice Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk and members of both committees. However, members of the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council did not attend the meeting, as they had already resigned from the committees.
Nevertheless, Senator Kamran Murtaza and Ms Alia Kamran, MNA, walked out of the meeting, expressing concern that their party had not been taken on board during the consensus-building process. Earlier, Ms Kamran participated in its proceedings.
Senate Law Committee Chairman Farooq H. Naek said, “The 27th Amendment is not final, the committees will recommend it first. It will pass only by majority, strictly inside the parliament. Bilawal’s Article 243 stance on armed forces in wartime is correct. PTI must join talks and put stance on record. The deliberations resume today (Sunday).”
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the media that all members engaged seriously and asked constructive questions. Deliberations on the 27th Amendment will continue until full consensus is reached. JUI-F’s boycott is their democratic right. We have shared the draft with everyone and invited proposals on the floor. However, “Mein Na Manoon” approach will do no good, he said. Judicial reforms and a constitutional court have been debated for 20 years — efforts failed during the 18th and 26th Amendments too, he said and added former minister Ijaz-ul-Haq joined via video link.
JUI-F’s Aaliya Kamran told the media that they have not received the 27th Amendment draft. She said an MQM member assured Maulana Fazlur Rehman that they would not pass the amendment today and we can raise objections. However, everything we fought to remove from the 26th Amendment is back. We opposed the judicial reforms and Article 243. She asked who will wield more power, the Constitutional Court judges or the Supreme Court judges?
After the meeting, PPP leader Naveed Qamar told reporters that the government had accepted several of the party’s proposals, while some others were still under consideration. “MQM’s suggestions have not yet been decided,” he said, adding that PPP believes no new proposals should be introduced at this stage. “The focus should remain on refining and finalising the earlier recommendations,” he stressed.
Earlier, addressing the federal cabinet via video link from Baku, Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that President Asif Ali Zardari was consulted and he approved the draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. “We are deeply grateful to President Zardari for his support and to Nawaz Sharif for their invaluable guidance,” he said. The cabinet unanimously approved the draft.
The prime minister revealed that all the allied leaders—Bilawal Bhutto, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Khalid Hussain Magsi, Abdul Aleem Khan, and Chaudhry Salik Hussain—had been consulted and extended full backing to the amendment. He added that National Assembly leaders Aimal Wali Khan and Ijaz-ul-Haq had also met him and were taken into confidence. “By the grace of Almighty Allah, Pakistan is steadily moving in the right direction thanks to economic and political stability. We must work collectively for the country’s progress and prosperity,” he declared. Shehbaz commended the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Attorney General, and his team, stating that all stakeholders had worked tirelessly to craft the 27th Amendment in order to strengthen federation-province relations.
In a significant late-night development, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the Bilawal House, Karachi. The closed-door talks, which started around 9 pm, were attended by Maulana Rashid Soomro, Mufti Ibrar Ahmed and other senior JUI(F) leaders. The trio discussed the prevailing political situation and the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment. As of filing this report, neither the Bilawal House nor JUI(F) has issued an official statement.
Earlier in the evening, President Zardari and Bilawal Zardari held talks with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the same venue, focusing on political developments and the proposed amendment.
