Pakistan tables 27th Amendment Bill to create Chief of Defence Forces, abolish CJCSC post

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government introduced the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate, which proposes major changes to the country’s military command structure and constitutional framework.

According to Dawn, the wide-ranging bill, tabled on Saturday, seeks to abolish the office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), and introduce a new post of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), effectively placing the Army Chief at the top of Pakistan’s armed forces.

The proposed amendment rewrites Pakistan’s Article 243 of the Constitution, which governs the control and command of the armed forces.

Under the new arrangement, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan would also serve concurrently as the Chief of Defence Forces, making the army chief the constitutionally recognised head of all three services—the Army, Navy and Air Force, as reported by Dawn.

The bill also proposes that the President of the country will appoint the army, naval and air chiefs on the advice of the Prime Minister, while the army chief would serve simultaneously as Chief of Defence Forces.

A key feature of the amendment is the creation of a Commander of National Strategic Command, responsible for overseeing Pakistan’s nuclear and strategic assets, as reported by Dawn.

The position would be filled by an officer from the army, appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Forces. The proposed changes also grant lifelong constitutional protection to officers promoted to the five-star ranks of Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force, or Admiral of the Fleet, allowing them to retain their rank, privileges and uniform for life.

Such officers would only be removable through a parliamentary procedure similar to impeachment, as outlined in Article 47 of Pakistan’s constitution, and would enjoy immunities comparable to those of the President, as reported by Dawn.

While presenting the bill, Pakistan’s Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the legislation aimed to modernise the command structure and regularise recent developments within the armed forces. He clarified that Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir had been awarded the title of Field Marshal, which, under the proposed amendment, would be formally recognised in the Constitution.

The law minister added that this title was honorary and for life, with Parliament—not the Prime Minister—empowered to revoke it, if necessary.

Tarar also confirmed that the office of the CJCSC would be abolished on November 27, when the tenure of the incumbent, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, comes to an end. No new appointment would be made to that post thereafter, as the Chief of Defence Forces would take over its functions, Dawn reported.

He stated that upon completion of command duties, Pakistan’s federal government would determine the future responsibilities and privileges of any officer holding a five-star rank in the interest of the state.

Meanwhile, the introduction of the bill has ignited a political storm in Islamabad. Supporters within the ruling coalition, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have described it as a technical update aimed at streamlining command structures and formalising existing practices. However, opposition parties and civil society groups have raised concerns that the amendment could further consolidate power within the military establishment and weaken civilian oversight of defence affairs, as reported by Dawn.

As per Dawn, the move has also drawn scrutiny for its timing, coming months after Munir’s elevation to Field Marshal following the India-Pakistan confrontation in May.

After being tabled in the Senate, the bill was referred to Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees on Law and Justice for joint review and consideration.

During the joint committee session, two members of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Aliya Kamran and Senator Kamran Murtaza, boycotted the meeting, stating that the draft included provisions that had been previously discarded in the 26th Amendment Bill, as reported by Dawn.
Following initial deliberations, the committees adjourned their session until Sunday for further discussion.

If enacted, the 27th Constitutional Amendment would mark one of the most significant overhauls of Pakistan’s military command system since the constitutional battles of the 1980s, redefining the balance between civilian authority and the military’s constitutional role, as per Dawn. (ANI)