Throughout Pakistan’s history, very few legislative measures would have so much sweeping impact as the 27th Constitutional Amendment introduced in the Senate on Saturday, and promptly approved by a joint sitting of Pakistan’s parliamentary law and justice committees on Sunday.
The bill completely legitimises the absolute rule of Pakistan by Field Marshal Asim Munir, while the political executive, parliament and the judiciary remain passive bystanders. Munir already heads the Pakistani army.
The amendment mainly brings about changes in Article 243 of the Pakistan Constitution, creating the post of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and subordinating all elements of Pakistani military architecture to it.
Not just the military, the bill considerably undermines civilian control and oversight. It also proposes the setting up of a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which will substantially reduce the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court by handling the interpretation of the Constitution.
Besides ensuring total control over policy, finance, internal security, and strategic affairs, the newly-appointed CDF will also head the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), ensuring his control over the nuclear arsenal.
What was once the charter of the PM-chaired National Command Authority (NCA), where the Pakistan President, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCSC), service chiefs, and ministers of defence, interior, and finance, and the director-general of the SPD were members, will now be the sole mandate of the CDF.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), as of January 2025, Pakistan possesses about 170 nuclear warheads that can be delivered through a triad of land, air and sea.
The DG, SPD, who headed the NCA secretariat, will now report directly to the CDF.
Not just the SPD, a myriad of military institutions have been brought under the Army Chief, who is also the CDF. These institutions are Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR)—both raised under the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ)—Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, PMC (Pak Marine Corps), Cyber Command, Aerospace Command, and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), among others.
Eventually, for long operating in the shadows, the Army has come out of controlling from the shadows and set to govern with legal sanction. That makes Pakistan a military dictatorship in the offing.