The 27th Constitutional Amendment revised Article 243 and overhauled Pakistan’s military command hierarchy
Field Marshal Asim Munir addressing the participants of the 17th Balochistan National Workshop at GHQ. Photo: ISPR screenshot
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will have his tenure reset upon his appointment as Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) after the National Assembly on Thursday approved amendments to laws governing three branches of the armed forces.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment revised Article 243 and reshuffled Pakistan’s military command hierarchy.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chaired the session while Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif introduced the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2025, Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025 and Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025, which were passed by majority vote.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2025, which also won majority approval of the House.
The Justice Minister clarified that the bills passed today are not new laws, but some amendments have been made to existing laws to align them with the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Tarar said the four bills, which were passed in nine minutes without any debate, aimed to harmonize existing laws with the recently signed 27th constitutional amendment. “These are not new laws. They are amendments to current laws,” he said.
The law minister said the change in the Army Act was to make the COAS the CDF and abolish the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), adding that the tenure of the CDF would be five years from the date of appointment.
The amendment further clarified that the tenure of the outgoing army chief would resume from the date of his notification as CDF.
The changes also included replacing the position of CJCSC with that of Commander National Strategic Command (NSCC). They stressed that the Prime Minister would appoint the CCSN on the recommendation of the Army Chief from among the Army Generals for a term of three years.
He adds that the Prime Minister could also reappoint the CCSN or extend its mandate for three years on the recommendation of the army chief.
Amendments to the Air Force and Navy Acts included removing the position of CJCSC from their documents.
At the same time, the amendment to the law on the Supreme Court paved the way for the abolition of the constitutional judiciary.
Earlier, the law minister informed the House that the bills had also been approved by the cabinet.
He praised former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, MQM-P, PML-Q and other allied parties for their support.
He also congratulated the nation on the passage of the historic 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Federal Cabinet
The federal government has made important decisions to harmonize national defense legislation with the recently passed 27th Constitutional Amendment.
The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and held here at Parliament House, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The cabinet approved amendments to the Pakistan Army Act, Pakistan Air Force Act and Pakistan Navy Act. The revisions aimed to bring the laws governing the armed forces into line with the changes introduced under Article 243 of the Constitution.
A major decision approved under the leadership of the Prime Minister included the creation of the office of the Chief of Defense Force, with a defined term of office. Accordingly, the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be abolished following the retirement of the outgoing Chairman.
Additionally, the amendments introduced new honorary ranks of Field Marshal, Air Force Marshal, and Fleet Admiral, reflecting modern and contemporary military structures and operational needs.
The Prime Minister stressed that these changes were part of a broader reform agenda aimed at ensuring that Pakistan’s defense framework remained in step with the demands of modern warfare and global standards.
In other decisions, the Federal Cabinet also approved the Federal Constitutional Court (Procedure and Practice) Bill, 2025, aimed at establishing procedures for the proposed new judicial body.
Furthermore, the Council of Ministers ratified the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) during its meeting held on November 7, 2025.
