Overview
- After a 64–0 Senate approval during an opposition boycott, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tabled the 59‑clause bill in the National Assembly, with a vote scheduled for today.
- The package creates a Federal Constitutional Court with original jurisdiction over constitutional matters and curtails the Supreme Court’s suo motu powers, shifting key constitutional cases to the new court.
- The bill restructures command of the armed forces by creating a Chief of the Defence Forces and abolishing the Chairman Joint Chiefs post from November 27, 2025, while granting lifetime status to Field Marshal, Marshal of Air Force and Admiral of the Fleet ranks.
- A new clause grants the president lifetime legal immunity, with the protection ending if the individual later holds public office, and judicial transfers move to an expanded Judicial Commission, where refusal of transfer is deemed retirement.
- The government plans additional tweaks in the lower house and has summoned the Senate for 5 pm to consider any changes, as opposition parties and the legal community stage protests and vow court challenges, with restrictions such as Section 144 reported in Sindh.