ISLAMABAD: Following the adoption of the 27th Constitutional amendment to the Constitution, the National Assembly passed on Thursday a package of laws, making changes in the Pakistan Army, Air Force, and Navy acts, as well as in the Supreme Court’s procedural rules.
The legislative overhaul, detailed in four separate bills, fundamentally restructures the country’s military high command and judicial system.
A central change confirms that the Army Chief will now concurrently serve as the Chief of the Defence Forces. Upon the issuance of the notification for this new dual role, the incumbent Army Chief’s tenure will be “deemed to have recommenced from the date of such notification.”
The federal government will determine the duties and responsibilities of the new position, including functions related to multi-domain integration and “optimum jointness of the Armed Forces.”
In a corresponding move, the long-standing office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) will be abolished effective November 27, 2025. It will be replaced by a new post, the Commander of the National Strategic Command.
This Commander, to be appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Forces from among serving generals, will have a three-year tenure. Notably, the laws grant powers for reappointment or extension for up to three years, with a clause barring any court from challenging such appointment.
Consequential amendments to the Pakistan Air Force Act and the Pakistan Navy Ordinance align their statutes with this new command structure.
Simultaneously, the government passed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Amendment Bill, 2025. This law amends the 2023 Act to bring it in line with the establishment of a new Federal Constitutional Court under the 27th Amendment.
The changes adjust the composition of the committee that constitutes the Supreme Court benches and omit certain sections, effectively refining the apex court’s procedural domain in light of the new constitutional court.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, reportedly in a huddle, decided to appoint Justice Aminuddin Khan as the first Chief Justice of the newly created Federal Constitutional Court.
Justice Aminuddin Khan will take the oath of office tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the President’s House, according to local media reports.
