Staff Report
The joint committee comprising legislators from the Senate and National Assembly’s standing committees on law and justice has approved the complete draft of the proposed 27th constitutional amendment, sources told on Sunday.
The joint committee began its session earlier today, chaired by Senator Farooq H Naek and MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk.
However, Opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), and Majlis-e-Wahdatul-Muslimeen (MWM), boycotted the session as their members did not turn up for the meeting.
In fresh development, the committee granted clause-by-clause approval to 49 proposed amendments.
The draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, already approved by the cabinet, will be presented in the house tomorrow (Monday), the sources confirmed.
The tweaks proposed by the coalition parties will be reconsidered in a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, the sources said.
The Awami National Party (ANP) raised objections to the 27th Constitutional Amendment and declined to attend the prime minister’s dinner, it was learnt.
However, the federal government contacted the ANP leadership and assured to address its reservations besides requesting the party’s legislators to attend the PM-hosted dinner.
The sources said that ANP Senators Arbab Umar Farooq and Haji Hidayatullah will attend the event.
Prior to this development, approval for Article 243 was granted after detailed consultations by the joint parliamentary committee, the sources said, marking a key step in advancing the constitutional tweaks.
Currently, Article 243 of the Constitution entrusts the President of Pakistan with the supreme command of the armed forces, while stipulating that their control and command shall rest with the federal government.
The federal government, a day earlier, presented a bill of the 27th Constitutional Amendment — proposing sweeping changes to the country’s judicial system as well as the military command structure — in the Senate.
“The committees have completed deliberations on the majority of the clauses of the draft, including Article 243, which was approved after extensive review,” sources familiar with the proceedings revealed.
The government has requested extra time to review proposals regarding renaming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and increasing provincial assembly seats in Balochistan.
“Both proposals will undergo further consideration, and final decisions are expected tomorrow,” the sources added. The consultations are a pre-requisite step, needed to be taken before finally presenting the 27th Amendment’s draft for approval in the Parliament.
After the conclusion of the session, Senator Naek confirmed that the committee gave approval to the basic draft of the constitutional amendment, adding that he and the law minister have been given powers by the members for some tweaks.
Withdrawal of PM amendment
According to the sources, the PML-N withdrew the proposed amendment seeking criminal immunity for the prime minister. The committee’s report is expected to be presented in the Senate tomorrow, where, sources said, the 27th Constitutional Amendment could also be approved.
The sources confirmed that Senator Anusha Rahman has formally withdrawn the amendment regarding the prime minister’s immunity following instructions from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. PPP’s Naek appreciated the decision to withdraw the amendment, according to insiders.
Members of the parliamentary committee expressed regret over the opposition’s absence from the crucial meeting, stressing that the opposition should have participated in the proceedings.
They termed the opposition’s conduct “deeply regrettable”, alleging that opposition parties were deliberately distancing themselves from the entire process.
Committee members reaffirmed their commitment to complete the work with sincerity, adding that the 27th Amendment holds significant importance for the strengthening of democracy in the country.
Three additional amendments
Sources told media that coalition parties also presented three additional amendments during the joint session, while the Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan National Party (BNP), and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also submitted their own proposals.
The joint parliamentary committee approved the clause for the establishment of constitutional courts, the sources added. A separate amendment was passed extending the time limit for deciding pending cases from six months to one year.
It was further approved that if a case remains unpursued for one year, it would be considered disposed of.
The ANP proposed an amendment seeking to rename Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as “Pakhtunkhwa”, arguing that Khyber refers to a district and that no other province includes a district name as part of its title.
Meanwhile, the sources said the MQM-P’s proposal regarding funding powers for local government representatives was also agreed upon, while consultations continued on increasing the number of seats in the Balochistan Assembly.
The federal government is considering passing the 27th Constitutional Amendment, proposing sweeping changes to the country’s judicial system as well as the military command structure.
The proposed amendment — initiated by the ruling PML-N with the support of most of its allies — was tabled in the Senate and sent to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice for discussion.
The amendment proposes a change in Article 243, seeking to abolish the “Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee” (CJCSC) position and introduce a new title, “Chief of Defence Forces”.
Other proposals include the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court and revisions to the process of appointing high court judges.
The proposed amendment also aims to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court, with some authorities shifted to the proposed Constitutional Court, and immunity to the president from criminal proceedings for life.
Salient features of 27th Constitutional Amendment
- A new position, Chief of Defence Forces, to be created as head of the armed forces effective from November 27, 2025
- Chief of Army Staff to assume role as Chief of Defence Forces
- Field Marshal, Marshal of Air Force, Admiral of Fleet titles to remain for life
- The prime minister will appoint the commander of the National Strategic Command from the Pakistan Army on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Forces
- Federal Constitutional Court to be established
- Equal provincial representation proposed in the Federal Constitutional Court
- President and prime minister to play a key role in judicial appointments
- Parliament to decide the number of judges in the Federal Constitutional Court
- Supreme Court powers to be reduced, with some authorities shifted to the new court
- Term of Federal Constitutional Court chief justice to be limited to three years
- Immunity to president from criminal proceedings for life
