The 27th Constitutional Amendment revised Article 243 and recast Pakistan’s military command hierarchy
Field Marshal Asim Munir addresses the participants of the 17th Balochistan National Workshop at the Headquarters. Photo: ISPR screenshot
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will see a reset in his tenure following his appointment as Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) after the National Assembly on Thursday approved changes to laws governing three branches of the armed forces.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment revised Article 243 and recast Pakistan’s military command hierarchy.
Speak Sardar Ayaz Sadiq presided over the session while Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif introduced Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the assembly which were passed by majority votes.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced the Supreme Court Practices and Procedures (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which also got majority approval in the House.
The Justice Minister clarified that the bills passed today are not new laws but some changes have been made to the existing ones to align them with the 27th constitutional amendment.
Tarar said the four bills, which were passed in nine minutes without any debate, were aimed at harmonizing existing laws with the recently signed 27th Constitutional Amendment Act. “These are not new laws. They are amendments to current laws,” he said.
The Law Minister said the change in the army law was aimed at converting the COAS into the CDF and eliminating 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 its appointment.
The amendment further said that the tenure of the current army chief would restart from the date of his notification as CDF.
The changes also included the replacement of the CJCSC position with that of commander of the National Strategic Command (CNSC). They highlighted that the prime minister would appoint the CNSC on the recommendation of the army chief from among the army generals for a three-year term.
He added that the prime minister could also renew the appointment of the CNSC or extend its mandate for three years on the recommendation of the army chief.
Amendments to the air force and navy laws included the removal of the CJCSC position from their documents.
Meanwhile, the amendment to the Supreme Court law paved the way for the elimination of the constitutional bench.
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 approval of the historic 27th Constitutional Amendment.
federal cabinet
The federal government took important decisions to harmonize national defense legislation with the recently enacted 27th Constitutional Amendment.
The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and was held here in Parliament, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The cabinet approved amendments to the Pakistan Army Act, the Pakistan Air Force Act and the Pakistan Navy Act. The revisions were aimed at harmonizing the laws governing the armed forces with the changes introduced under Article 243 of the Constitution.
An important decision passed under the leadership of the prime minister included the creation of the office of the Chief of Defense Forces, with a defined mandate. Consequently, the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will be abolished upon the retirement of the current 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 emphasized that these changes were part of a broader reform agenda to ensure that Pakistan’s defense framework keeps pace with the requirements of modern warfare and global standards.
In other decisions, the Federal Cabinet also approved the Federal Constitutional Court (Procedure and Practice) Bill, 2025, which aims to establish procedures for the proposed new judicial body.
In addition, the Cabinet ratified the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (CEC) in its meeting held on November 7, 2025.
