Pak President gives assent to controversial amendment that grants sweeping powers to Munir

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday gave his assent to the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, which seeks to grant sweeping powers to the country’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and create a new post of Chief of Defence Forces.

With the President’s nod, the contentious amendment has now officially become part of the Pakistani Constitution.

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“The Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025 is assented to, as advised by the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif], at Para-5 of the Summary,” a notification issued by the Pakistani President’s House read.

The amendment bill was approved by the Pakistani Senate amid the Opposition’s walkout.

The amendment aims to restructure the Supreme Court, set up a new Federal Constitutional Court and restructure the hierarchy of the armed forces. These amendments establish a framework in which the Chief of Army Staff also becomes the Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF) and may further be promoted to the post of Field Marshal, along with lifelong privileges and immunity.

In the existing structure, Pakistan’s Army Chief was the most influential figure within the armed forces. The air and naval chiefs were independent of his direct command.

The PCA now institutionalises a hierarchy that places the Army Chief above all other military officers in all branches, changing a once-dominant post into a constitutionally supreme one.

Munir, who was elevated to the post of Field Marshal earlier this year, will now remain protected under the new law even if he commits a crime.

However, experts believe this causes a serious legal inconsistency, as the immunity of the President lasts until he is in office; however, the Field Marshal’s immunity would last for life. His immunity remains constitutionally protected even after leaving the command.