Senate passes 27th Amendment to recast military command, create new court

The Senate approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment with 64 votes, crossing the two-thirds bar as opposition senators walked out and tore up copies of the bill. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the 59-clause package, which now moves to the National Assembly for a final vote.

At the heart of the reform is a new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) to handle constitutional questions so the Supreme Court can focus on appeals and clear backlogs. The FCC is envisaged to have equal representation from all provinces and the Islamabad High Court, and"unlike the Supreme Court"would take suo motu jurisdiction only when petitions are filed.

The bill also redraws elements of military command by creating a Chief of Defence Forces post. Honorary ranks such as Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet would remain as lifetime titles. The package refines procedures for judicial appointments by enhancing roles for the president and prime minister and by channeling inter-high court transfers through the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, with objections reviewed by the Supreme Judicial Council.

Another clause limits presidential immunity if a sitting or former president assumes a public office after completing the term. For eligibility to serve on the FCC, judges would need at least five years on a high court bench. The reforms, supporters say, modernize the constitutional architecture while preserving seniority and due process.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar hailed the vote as historic and linked it to commitments dating back to the Charter of Democracy. PPP Senator Farooq H. Naek, presenting the joint committee's report, said the text had been refined during scrutiny. MQM-P's Faisal Subzwari backed the drive but stressed that citizens should see tangible benefits.

Outside the chamber, opposition figures vowed to resist what they called an assault on constitutional balance, arguing Parliament should not unilaterally recast the system without broader consensus. The coalition countered that bar councils and political parties had long urged specialized constitutional adjudication, and that the FCC would deliver exactly that.