Overview
- President Asif Ali Zardari signed the revised 27th Constitutional Amendment after final Senate approval, making the changes law.
- The measure establishes a Federal Constitutional Court with exclusive authority over constitutional cases, shifting jurisdiction away from the Supreme Court.
- The amendment redefines top judicial titles so the current chief justice retains the title until retirement, after which the senior of the Supreme Court and Federal Constitutional Court chiefs will be designated chief justice of Pakistan.
- It grants lifetime legal immunity and retention of rank and privileges to Field Marshal Asim Munir under a new Chief of Defence Forces role and extends lifetime immunity to the president.
- Petitions filed in the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court seek to suspend or strike down the changes as opposition parties challenge the votes taken in parliament and the federal cabinet moves to align existing laws with the new framework.