The government has presented the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate, with the draft of the proposed amendments also made public. The session, presided over by Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani, began with Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar requesting that normal proceedings be suspended so the bill could be tabled immediately.
The chairman approved the request, and the motion to suspend the question hour—presented by Tariq Fazal Chaudhry—was also passed without objection. Following the introduction of the bill, the chairman referred it to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
According to the draft, amendments have been proposed in 48 articles of the Constitution. One key proposal includes abolishing the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and introducing a new position titled “Chief of Defence Forces” under Article 243. Another proposal suggests granting the title of Field Marshal for life. The draft further proposes assigning judicial transfers to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, with the chief justices of both the transferring and receiving high courts becoming part of the decision-making process.
Sources revealed additional proposals such as increasing the number of seats in the Balochistan Assembly, expanding provincial cabinet sizes, and raising the number of advisers. Amendments are also under consideration to hold Senate elections across the country simultaneously. The draft includes the recommendation to designate the Field Marshal rank as a lifetime position.
