President Asif Ali Zardari has approved major amendments to Pakistan’s defence laws, signing into law the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025. All three bills had been passed by both houses of Parliament.
With the president’s assent, the amendments have now formally become part of national law.
Under the revised Army Act, the Chief of Army Staff will also serve as the Chief of Defence Forces, a newly empowered role with a five-year tenure. The post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee has been abolished as part of the restructuring.
The law further states that once the notification appointing the Army Chief as Chief of Defence Forces is issued, the tenure of the Army Chief will restart from that date.
Earlier, the 27th Constitutional Amendment had also affirmed that the rank of Field Marshal would be held for life.
These legislative changes mark one of the most significant reshuffles in Pakistan’s military command structure in recent years.
