27th constitutional amendment revised Article 243, reworked Pakistan’s military command hierarchy
Field Marshal Asim Munir addressing participants of 17th National Workshop Balochistan at GHQ. Photo: Screengrab ISPR
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will see his tenure reset after being appointed Chief of the Defense Forces (CDF) after the National Assembly on Thursday approved changes to the laws governing three branches of the armed forces.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment revised Article 243 and reworked Pakistan’s military command hierarchy.
Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq presided over the session when Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif introduced the Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) 2025, Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) 2025 and Pakistan Navy (Amendment) 2025 Bill in the Assembly which was passed by majority vote.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2025, which also secured majority approval in the House.
The Law Minister clarified that the Bills passed today are not new laws, but some changes have been made to the existing ones to bring them in line with the 27th Amendment to the Constitution.
Tarar said the four bills, which were passed in nine minutes without any debate, were meant to harmonize the existing laws with the recently signed 27th Constitutional Amendment Act. “These are not new laws. These are changes to the current laws,” he said.
The law minister said the amendment in the Army Act was to make the COAS the CDF and to eliminate the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), adding that the tenure of the CDF would be five years from the date of appointment.
The amendment further said that the tenure of the sitting army chief would resume from the date of his notification as CDF.
The changes also included replacing the CJCSC’s position with the Chief 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 Army Generals for a three-year term.
It added that the prime minister could also re-appoint the CNSC or extend its tenure by three years on the army chief’s recommendation.
The changes to the Air Force and Navy Acts included eliminating the position of CJCSC from their documents.
Meanwhile, the amendment of the Supreme Court Act paved the way for the abolition of the Constitutional Court.
Earlier, the Law Minister informed the House that the Bills had also been approved by the Cabinet.
He congratulated 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.
The federal cabinet
The federal government made important decisions to harmonize national defense legislation with the recently adopted 27th constitutional amendment.
The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, which was held here at the Parliament House, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
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 changes introduced under Article 243 of the Constitution.
A major decision approved under the Prime Minister’s leadership included the creation of the office of the Chief of the Defense Forces with a defined term of office. Correspondingly, the post of Chairman of the Joint Personnel Committee will be abolished after the resignation of the incumbent chairman.
In addition, the changes introduced new ranks of Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force and Admiral of the Navy, reflecting modern and contemporary military structures and operational needs.
The Prime Minister emphasized that these changes were part of a broader reform agenda to ensure that Pakistan’s defense framework keeps pace with modern warfare requirements and global standards.
In other decisions, the Federal Cabinet also approved the draft Federal Constitutional Court (Procedure and Practice) Bill, 2025, aimed at establishing procedures for the newly proposed judicial body.
Furthermore, the government ratified the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its meeting on November 7, 2025.
