Overview
- President Asif Ali Zardari signed the amendment after it cleared the National Assembly with 234 votes and the Senate with 64, meeting the two‑thirds threshold in both houses.
- The law creates a Federal Constitutional Court with binding authority on constitutional matters, narrows the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction, and changes the future designation of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
- Military command is centralized by making the Army chief the Chief of Defence Forces on a five‑year term and ending the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee once the incumbent retires.
- Five‑star officers receive lifelong rank, privileges and immunity, protections reported to cover the current army chief, while presidential immunity is reaffirmed on a lifetime basis.
- The federal cabinet and National Assembly rapidly passed aligning bills for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Supreme Court procedure as the Chief Justice convened a full‑court session and legal petitions were filed.