Pakistan's Senate approves military, judicial overhaul after 27th Amendment approval

Pakistan’s Senate approved on Friday amendment bills related to the Army, Air Force, Navy and the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure framework, following a majority vote during a session chaired by Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Asif and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry presented the bills before the upper house.

The Senate passed the Pakistan Army Act, Pakistan Air Force Act, Pakistan Navy Act and the Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill with a majority vote.

Lawmakers from the former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam-Fazl opposed the bills. Senators Humayun Mohmand and Kamran Murtaza called for the legislation to be sent to a committee for further review.

Gilani, however, sought a vote from the House, after which the Senate approved the bills with a majority.

Speaking on the floor, Dar said the Senate had already passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment, creating the need to amend the related military acts. He said changes had been made to the Army, Navy and Air Force laws accordingly.

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A day earlier, the National Assembly had approved amendments to the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, and the Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961, to align the laws governing the armed forces with the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif presented those bills in the lower house, which passed them through voting. The National Assembly also approved the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill during the same sitting.

Explaining the legislative changes, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the amendments were introduced to harmonize existing laws with the new constitutional framework.

He said the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) will serve a five-year term from the date of appointment. Adjustments have also been made to the structures of the Air Force and Navy.

Tarar added that amendments related to appointments to the newly established Constitutional Court had also been approved, and the chief justice will be the first appointee.

Key features of the 27th amendment

The 27th Constitutional Amendment restructures major parts of Pakistan’s constitutional and institutional framework.

It creates a new Federal Constitutional Court, separate from the Supreme Court, dedicated exclusively to constitutional interpretation and disputes between the federal government and provinces.

It amends Article 243 to establish the Chief of Defense Forces as the principal military adviser to the prime minister and federal cabinet.

It also updates defense-related laws to reflect a more unified military command structure.

According to the government, these reforms aim to modernize civil-military relations, clarify the roles of state institutions and strengthen democratic oversight of the armed forces.