Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar tabled the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Senate today, following the federal cabinet’s approval of the draft earlier in the day.
The bill was presented during a session chaired by Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani. At the request of the law minister, the chair suspended the routine agenda to allow immediate introduction of the constitutional amendment.
While presenting the bill, Tarar proposed that it be referred to a joint parliamentary committee for detailed review.
“We are not in a hurry. The joint committee, comprising members from both the National Assembly and Senate, will examine the bill. Other lawmakers who are not members of the committee will also be invited for input,” he said, adding that voting on the bill would not take place at this stage and that the opposition would be given full opportunity to debate.
Gilani urged opposition senators to actively participate in the committee meetings and subsequently referred the bill to the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
Earlier, speaking to the media after a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the law minister said the cabinet had been briefed on the contents of the 27th Amendment, and the forum had endorsed the draft. He stated that the bill, which includes the proposal for establishing a Constitutional Court, would be presented in the Senate on Friday with support from coalition partners.
Tarar said the government sought an in-depth discussion on each clause of the bill once it reached the joint committee. He noted that the amendment also addresses long-standing debates over the role of the prime minister and president in the transfer of judges, adding that the matter was being proposed to be handed over to the Judicial Commission.
Referring to changes under consideration in Article 243, the minister said Pakistan had learned key lessons on strategic and defence matters, particularly in light of regional tensions, including recent Pakistan-India hostilities.
“Modern warfare has changed entirely. Certain appointments and honorary ranks that exist globally were missing from our Constitution,” he said, citing the need to formally recognize positions such as Field Marshal, and honorary ranks for Air and Naval Chiefs. He said these honours, often awarded to national heroes, could be retained as lifetime ceremonial titles, while command roles would continue to remain regulated by existing laws.
The minister emphasised that any constitutional amendment would only become part of the Constitution after approval by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament.
