ISLAMABAD (TNS) The 27th Constitutional Amendment was passed by the upper house, the Senate. After being passed in the Senate, the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill will soon be presented in the National Assembly. 64 votes were cast in support of the amendment, no vote was cast in opposition, the opposition walked out of the Senate session. Federal Law Minister Senator Azam Nazir Tarar presented the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which was passed by a two-thirds majority. 64 votes were cast in favor of the constitutional amendment, no vote was cast in opposition to the amendment, while the opposition members walked out of the session. Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani announced the approval of the constitutional amendment after the voting process was completed. The Senate Chairman said that 64 votes were cast in favor of the 27th Amendment, PML-N parliamentary leader Irfan Siddiqui is seriously ill and on a ventilator, he could not vote. He said that I took the matter forward through discussions with the opposition and the government, and all members were made part of the discussion on the constitutional amendment. Under the Charter of Democracy, all political parties discussed, tried, and unanimously brought the constitutional amendment. Earlier, during the Senate session, the clause-wise approval of the 27th Amendment to the Constitution continued, and all 59 clauses were approved. 64 members of the Senate voted in favor of the amendments, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Saifullah and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Senator Ahmed Khan voted in favor of the amendment. Opposition members walked out of the Senate session during the clause-wise approval of the constitutional amendment. Earlier, the report of the Standing Committee on the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2025 was presented, and Senator Farooq Hamid Naik, the head of the Standing Committee on Law and Justice, presented the report. While presenting the report of the Standing Committee on the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2025 in the Senate, Senator Farooq H. Naik said that there have been many changes in the Constitutional Amendment Bill, the committee has approved the creation of a federal constitutional court. Senator Farooq H. Naik further said that the constitutional court that will be formed will have equal representation of all the provinces, the committee has made many changes after deliberation. The committee suggested that a judge who has served in the High Court for a period of 7 to 5 years will be appointed as a judge of the Constitutional Court, the committee has included a technocrat, the committee has kept the suo moto power but this process has been made subject to the application, when someone makes an application and the Constitutional Court considers it necessary, a hearing will be held. The head of the standing committee further said that an amendment has also been proposed regarding the transfer of judges, the method of transfer will be changed and it will be done through the Judicial Commission, the transfer will be done under the conditions of the Judicial Commission. Senator Farooq H. Naik said that if a judge refuses, a reference will be filed against him so that he can give reasons for the refusal, if he cannot give valid reasons, he will be considered retired. The head of the standing committee further said that the clause granting lifelong immunity to the President has been amended, if he becomes a public office holder, the immunity will end, and after the public office ends, the immunity will be regained. The committee recommended that the Speaker select members for the Judicial Commission, they can be women or non-Muslims or technocrats. The committee added a clause that if the case is not decided within a year, the stay will end. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senator Saifullah Abro, who voted in favor of the constitutional amendment, announced his resignation from his seat and said, “I am resigning from my seat from here today. Please de-notify me.”
During the National Assembly session, when Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf started speaking, his speech was interrupted by noise and sloganeering from the opposition benches. Talking about the issue of immunity for the president, he said that this is a common practice in many countries for the head of state. He severely criticized the opposition and said that who are they to criticize the government benches when their ranks are filled with people who have violated the constitution. PTI members raised slogans of “Go Zardari Go” and “Zindabad Imran Khan” while calling the former prime minister “Raja Rental”. Before the bill was passed in the Senate, opposition benches protested and raised slogans against the government and its coalition partners. As the federal law minister began moving the amendment, lawmakers tore up copies of the bill and threw it towards Azam Nazir Tarar’s desk. Most opposition members then walked out, paving the way for the bill’s smooth passage. A joint meeting of the Senate and National Assembly’s Law and Justice Standing Committees passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill with minor changes. Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice Chairman Farooq H. Naik submitted a report to the upper house on the changes. The bill, which Azam Nazir Tarar introduced in the Senate on Saturday despite opposition protests and hours after the federal cabinet approved it, aims to establish a federal constitutional court and give life status to the post of field marshal.Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who said that all the important amendments, including changes to Article 243, which provides that the federal government “shall have control and command over the armed forces” and the military command structure, were passed by both the committees with flying colours. Senator Farooq H. Naik said that the bill was adopted with minor changes. He said that the committees had authorised him and the law minister to make a few amendments. However, the committees deferred the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) proposal to amend Article 140, which deals with local governments, as well as the Awami National Party’s (ANP) recommendation to change the name of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ANP had proposed to change the name of the province by removing ‘Khyber’, arguing that Khyber is a district and the names of other provinces do not include district names. Similarly, the proposed amendment to increase the province’s seats in the parliament of the Balochistan National Party was also postponed. Earlier in the day, ANP’s Hidayatullah Khan said that the committee has sought time till Monday to decide on his party’s proposal to rename Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Meanwhile, the Law Minister said that it has been decided that the provinces will be taken into confidence regarding the renaming of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that there is no deadlock regarding the 27th Constitutional Amendment, our votes are complete, there is no ambiguity of any kind. The Information Minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had decided not to take the exemption and as soon as he returned from Azerbaijan yesterday, he gave the instructions and today that clause was also returned from the committee, this is a good move, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif understood that he is accountable to the people and the court of law. The Federal Information Minister said that all the amendments were brought after extensive discussions for good governance, strong relations with the provinces of the federation, further strengthening Pakistan in terms of defense and increasing the defense force. All over the world, the head of state enjoys immunity, this is a choice, this system is prevalent all over the world. The concept of constitutional courts exists all over the world, since the time of the Charter of Democracy, there was a debate that there should be constitutional courts, this was a joint demand of the Muslim League (N), the People’s Party and the ANP, the debate that has been going on for many decades has now reached its logical conclusion. A constitutional bench was created in the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the fruits of which have come to light, the workload of cases in the courts has decreased, while the efficiency of the judiciary has also increased, constitutional matters are fewer, but a lot of time is spent on them, he said that reforms in judicial reforms are a good step for the speedy and prompt provision of justice. Our votes are complete, there is no ambiguity, these are positive constitutional amendments and have been prepared in view of the best international practices. The Federal Minister said that the Constitution is a living document in which the process of evolution continues step by step and 27 amendments have been made under it till date, which is welcome. A two-thirds majority is required for a constitutional amendment in both houses of parliament, so when the bill is voted on in the Senate, which has 96 members, the support of at least 64 senators will be required. However, the ruling coalition does not have a two-thirds majority in the upper house, the coalition with 61 senators will need at least 3 votes from the opposition to pass the bill. After the Senate’s approval, the bill is also to be voted on in the National Assembly (NA), which is scheduled to meet at 4:30 pm today. The ruling coalition has a two-thirds majority in the 336-member National Assembly, it has 233 members while the opposition has 103. The ruling coalition includes PML-N 125, PPP 74, MQM-PK 22, PML-Q 5, Istafi-e-Pakistan Party 4, and PML-Z, Balochistan Awami Party and National People’s Party one seat each. The bill, introduced in the Senate on Saturday by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar amid strong opposition from the opposition and hours after the federal cabinet approved it, seeks to establish a Federal Constitutional Court and maintain the post of Field Marshal for life. On Sunday, a joint meeting of the Law and Justice Standing Committees of the Senate and the National Assembly passed the 27th Amendment to the Constitution bill with minor amendments despite the opposition boycotting it. Senator Farooq H. Naik, while presiding over the meeting, said that the bill had been passed with minor amendments. However, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) proposal to amend Article 140 relating to local governments, and the Awami National Party (ANP) proposal to change the name of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were postponed.The Leader of the House of the Upper House of Parliament (Senate) and Deputy Prime Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has said that as promised, the bill was brought to the Senate first, and I congratulate the Senate on its approval. Addressing the Senate meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister said that all parties, including former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, signed the Charter of Democracy. The Charter of Democracy also agreed on a constitutional court, constitutional amendments have been made to improve the judicial system, and the seniority of all judges, including the current Chief Justice, will remain intact. The second important amendment is the amendment to Article 243. Pakistan achieved a historic victory in the recent war with India. He said that the nation declared Army Chief Asim Munir a hero in the war with India, and the post of Field Marshal was not in the Constitution. Ishaq Dar also said that as promised, the bill was brought to the Senate first, and I congratulate the House on the approval of the historic bill. At the time of the 18th Amendment, there were two proposals to name the province Hazara Pakhtunkhwa or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both proposals were given to the ANP, then the name of the province was proposed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PML-N Senator Rana Sanaullah says that granting immunity to a field marshal does not abolish Article 6. The government has the numbers game to bring the amendment, the government has the support of 65 members to bring the amendments. In addition, while talking in the Parliament House, he said that the amendment to Article 248 is a tribute to national heroes and constitutional office holders, it should not be a joke to give a person the status of national hero and then take it back. The return of the honor of national heroes has been done through this process under Article 47, how can Article 6 be applied to the President of Pakistan and national heroes, this further confuses the matter. Speaking in the Parliament, Law Minister Nazir Tarar said that it is proposed that the post of Chairman Joint Chief of Staff will be abolished under the current defense requirements, this post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will remain in place until November 27. Before 1973, the Commander-in-Chief was the head of the defense forces, on the day when Parliament increased the tenure of the Army Chief and Naval Chief from five years to two years on the same day. There is no need for any discussion or notification regarding the tenure of the Army Chief, the tenure of the Army Chief has been determined according to the law, there is no need for notification, it is an unnecessary discussion that the tenure of the Army Chief should end on November 29 or 27. What is the difference between a field marshal and an army chief, it is explained in the constitution, the Army Chief led both his comrades together in the war, the tenure of the Chief of Defense Forces will be determined according to the constitution, the Ministry of Defense is working on a minor amendment to the Army Act. Which cases will be heard by the Constitutional Court or the Supreme Court, it has also been fully explained, the suo motu has been abolished, the court will first satisfy. On the other hand, while speaking in the Senate, PTI Senator Saifullah Abro said that I am resigning from the Senate today, in response to which Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani said that we will make you a senator again. The PTI senator said that Pakistan’s victory in the Indo-Pak war is a source of pride for all of us, no president or prime minister has shown the respect that US President Trump has shown to our field marshal. It should be noted that the 27th Constitutional Amendment was passed in the Senate, with 64 members voting.
Earlier, 59 clauses of the amendment were approved in a row. The government got the required 64 votes in the Senate, after the clause-by-clause approval process of the 27th Constitutional Amendment was completed, all the clauses were approved. In the Senate meeting to approve the draft of the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, PTI Senator Saifullah Abro and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Senator Ahmed Khan voted in favor of the amendment. PTI members protested in front of the Senate Chairman’s desk, Senator Saifullah Abro remained seated, did not participate in the protest. Speaking in the Senate meeting, PML-N Senator Agha Shahzeb Durrani said that the opposition would bring their amendments, go to the committee, and tell us what the problem is with this constitutional amendment. He said that Germany, Italy, and Spain also have constitutional courts, let them explain what the problem is with the constitutional court, the opposition has not even read these amendments. There are 50,000 cases pending in the Supreme Court, how will they be disposed of. Senator Agha Shahzeb Durrani says that in 2022, he himself amended the law and himself became its target, 52 bills were passed by this same house in 52 minutes, where was democracy at that time? The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice had approved the basic draft yesterday.On Saturday afternoon, the federal cabinet approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill and declared it a complete welcome. Later, the bill was presented in the Senate, where the opposition strongly protested the scope and speed of the proposed amendments. Details of the proposed draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment presented in the Senate have come to light, in which amendments have been proposed in 48 articles of the Constitution of Pakistan. The post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff has been dissolved from Article 243 of the Constitution and the post of Chief of Defence Forces has been created. According to one proposal, the post of Field Marshal will be for life. It has also been proposed to entrust the transfer of judges to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. The Chief Justice of the High Court from which the judge has to transfer and the High Court to which he has to go will also be part of the transfer process. The 27th Constitutional Amendment also proposes to increase the number of seats in the provincial assembly in Balochistan, a proposal to increase the size of the provincial cabinet is also under consideration, and the number of advisors to the provincial cabinet will be increased. Amendments have also been proposed to hold elections for the entire Senate at one time, and according to one proposal, the post of Field Marshal has also been proposed to be kept for life. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was in Baku, chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet via video link. The 27th Constitutional Amendment was approved in the federal cabinet meeting. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar had said that according to the Charter of Democracy, an amendment to Article 243 of the Constitution has been approved, according to which a Constitutional Court will be formed. Now the parliament will take the final decision on its approval after discussing the amendment to the Constitution. In addition, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that he took Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif into confidence on the 27th Constitutional Amendment, and everyone has to work together for the development and prosperity of the country. The Prime Minister welcomed the cabinet members and thanked the coalition parties and said that everyone worked together for the 27th Constitutional Amendment in the interests of the country and the strengthening of the relationship between the federation and the provinces, for which the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Attorney General and their team are commendable. I have taken my leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif into confidence on the 27th Constitutional Amendment and have sought his guidance on it, for which I am deeply grateful. I have also taken President Asif Ali Zardari into confidence regarding the amendment and am deeply grateful for his consent. The Prime Minister said that I am grateful to the heads of all the coalition parties, especially Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Abdul Aleem Khan, Khalid Hussain Magsi and Chaudhry Salik Hussain, with whom I personally consulted along with the delegations of their parties and they fully supported this draft. He said that I have also consulted Aimal Wali Khan, Ijazul Haq and other political leaders and have taken them into confidence regarding the constitutional amendment. By the grace of Allah, the direction of the country has been right due to political and economic stability in the country. Everyone has to work together for the development and prosperity of the country.
