Islamabad: Pakistan’s Senate, the upper house of parliament, on Monday, November 10, gave a nod to the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment to create a new post of Chief of Defence Forces and set up a constitutional court.
The bill, which had stirred controversy for weeks, was presented in the Senate by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, while Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani presided over the proceedings.
The government and its coalition partners secured a two-thirds majority of 64 in the vote after it received the support of two opposition members.
Under the amendment bill, the President will appoint the Army Chief and the Chief of Defence Force on the advice of the Prime Minister. It also proposes that the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will expire on November 27, 2025.
The Chief of Army Staff, who will also be the Chief of Defence Forces, will appoint the head of the National Strategic Command in consultation with the Prime Minister, and the head of the National Strategic Command will be from the Pakistan Army.
The government will be able to promote individuals from the armed forces to the ranks of Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet. The rank and privileges of Field Marshal will be for life, meaning that Field Marshals will remain Field Marshals for life.
The bill also proposes to set up a Federal Constitutional Court to deal with matters related to the constitution, while the existing Supreme Court would deal only with traditional civil and criminal cases.
Earlier, the Senate conducted a clause-by-clause vote on the bill. Later, voting by division was conducted, with the entry and exit gates of the Senate closed as per the protocol.
As voting began, opposition members led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party of Imran Khan staged a protest, chanting slogans against the government and its coalition partners. The lawmakers tore up copies of the bill and hurled them toward the law minister when he began to present the bill for voting.
Most opposition members then staged a walkout, while a few stayed briefly to continue sloganeering before exiting the chamber. After they left the house, the bill was passed smoothly.
Earlier, a joint meeting of the standing committee of the Senate and the National Assembly was boycotted by the opposition. The meeting approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment bill with minor changes.
The committee chairman, Farooq Naek, presented a report on those before the Upper House. He told the house that the joint committee deliberated on the bill for two days and made “many changes”.
After the approval by the Senate, the bill should be passed by the National Assembly (NA), having 336 members, where the government already has 233 members, which is more than 226 needed for a two-thirds majority.
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