Senate passes military reforms approved under 27th Constitutional Amendment

Key legislation amending military command was passed in the Senate on Friday, in accordance with the changes proposed in the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The 27th Constitutional Amendment overhauled Article 243 and recast Pakistan's military command hierarchy. The 27th Constitutional Amendment was passed in parliament this week amid heavy opposition.

Military Command

• The term Chief of Defence Forces will commence from the date of notification
• The Army Chief will serve as the Chief of Defence Forces
• When a general is promoted to Field Marshal, they will serve under Subsection 2 of the relevant clause
• The federal government will determine the duties and responsibilities of the Chief of Defence Forces
• Clause 8G of the Army Act has been amended to abolish the position of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
• Position will be terminated on November 27

The National Strategic Command

• The Prime Minister, on the recommendation of the Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces, is to appoint the Commander of National Strategic Command for a three-year term
• The PM will set the terms, conditions, and rules for the appointment of the Commander of the National Strategic Command
• The PM may reappoint the Commander for an additional three-year term on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Forces
• The appointment, reappointment, or extension of the Commander of National Strategic Command cannot be challenged in any court
• Retirement age, service term, and removal provisions under the Army Act will not apply to the Commander of National Strategic Command.
• The Commander of the National Strategic Command will serve as a General in the Pakistan Army

Read: COAS Asim Munir's tenure to reset after military command reforms

Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025

The bill proposes to amend the Pakistan Navy Act 1961. The amendments aim to align existing laws with the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The law intends to reflect a multi-domain integration policy, to enhance command coordination and organisational coherence across the defence forces.

• All provisions relating to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee have been removed
• The Navy command structure will be reorganised in accordance with the new defence framework
• Terminology regarding the Chief of Naval Staff's powers and position has been updated
• The word "or" will be replaced with "and/or" in various sections of the Navy Act
• Sections 11D, 11E and 11F have been deleted
• Section 208 has been amended to remove the references to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee

Changes in the Pakistan Air Force Bill

• Sections 10D, 10E, and 10F of the Pakistan Air Force Act 1953 have been deleted
• Section 202 has been amended to remove references to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee

Read more: 27th Constitution Amendment Bill sails through National Assembly with two-thirds majority

Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure Amendment)

• Bill removes Article 191A from the Practice and Procedure Act
• References to "Constitutional Benches" have been deleted from the Act
• Section 5 of the Practice and Procedure Act has been repealed
• Amendments to Clause 2 of the Practice and Procedure Act have been approved
• Any matter, petition, appeal, or review before the Supreme Court will be heard by the most senior judge in terms of seniority.
• Or a judge nominated by the Chief Justice, part of a bench formed by the CJ-led committee
• If a member is unable to attend a committee meeting for any reason, the Chief Justice may nominate another SC judge to the committee
• Committee decisions will be made by majority vote

The 27th Constitutional Amendment

The bill introduces the Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the assembly, which were passed with a majority vote. Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will see a reset in his tenure upon his appointment as Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF), confirmed on Thursday.

Also read: President signs 27th Amendment Bill into law

Changes to the Army Act make the COAS the CDF and eliminate the post of the chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), adding that the CDF's term would be five years from the date of appointment.

The amendment further said that the tenure of the incumbent army chief would recommence from the date of his notification as the CDF.

The changes also included replacing the position of the CJCSC with the commander of the National Strategic Command (CNSC). They outlined that the prime minister would appoint the CNSC on the recommendation of the army chief from the generals of the army for a three-year tenure.