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Pakistan Enacts Sweeping Defence Overhaul, Elevates Army Chief to Chief of Defence Forces

The new laws consolidate operational command in a single post and shift constitutional cases to a newly created court, prompting warnings over concentrated power and the erosion of judicial independence.

Overview

  • President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Army, Air Force, and Navy amendment bills into law under the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
  • The Chief of the Army Staff will also serve as Chief of Defence Forces with a tenure reset to five years from notification, and the Joint Chiefs chair will be abolished on November 27, 2025.
  • A Federal Constitutional Court has been constituted with exclusive jurisdiction over constitutional matters, and Justice Aminuddin Khan has been sworn in as its first chief justice.
  • Senior judges, including Supreme Court justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah and Lahore High Court judge Shams Mehmood Mirza, have resigned in protest, citing threats to judicial independence.
  • Appointments and reappointments of the Commander National Strategic Command will be made on the CDF’s recommendation, with extensions shielded from court challenges.