In partnership with
PRESIDENT ZARDARI SIGNS ‘CONTENTIOUS’ 27TH AMENDMENT INTO LAW AMID WIDESPREAD DEBATE
Profit
Friday, 14 November, 2025 | 22 Jamadiul Awwal, 1447
g
g
27TH AMENDMENT BECOMES LAW AFTER PRESIDENTIAL ASSENT FOLLOWING CABINET’S APPROVAL AND PARLIAMENTARY PASSAGE
g
CHANGES TO ARTICLE 243 RESHAPE MILITARY COMMAND AND INTRODUCE NEW HONORARY RANKS
OPPOSITION ALLEGES ‘HASTE, DECEIT AND FRAUD’ IN PUSHING AMENDMENT WITH PTI, JUI-F DEFECTING MEMBERS SPARK DEFECTION ROW UNDER ARTICLE 63-A
P
ISLAMABAD
RESIDENT Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday gave his formal assent to the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, signing it into law shortly after the federal cabinet approved it following passage by both houses of Parliament. The President’s Office, confirming the development, said in a statement that the summary signed by President Zardari read, “The Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025, is assented to, as advised by the Prime Minister at
para 5 of the summary.” With the presidential assent, the amendment has now become part of the Constitution, paving the way for the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC)—a long-envisioned institution under the Charter of Democracy—and introducing changes to the command and structure of the armed forces under Article 243. Officials said the President is expected to administer the oath to the Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court at a ceremony to be held at the Presidency on Friday, formally bringing the new judicial body into existence.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
g
Cabinet greenlights key amendments to ‘reconcile’ defence laws with 27th Amend
Staff RepoRt
Staff RepoRt
In a swift follow-up to the enactment of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday appointed Justice Aminuddin Khan as the inaugural Chief Justice of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), “translating the reforms envision under the recently enacted law in Pakistan’s judicial landscape.” The appointment came just hours after the president signed the 27th Amendment into law — legislation that envisions the creation of the FCC to adjudicate constitutional matters — and amid turmoil in the higher judiciary following the resignations of Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah in protest against the new law.
g
SENATE RE-APPROVES AMENDMENT AMID OPPOSITION PROTESTS AFTER NA PASSES REVISED DRAFT WITH 234 IN FAVOUR, FOUR AGAINST
LAW MINISTER, DEPUTY PM STRESS LEGAL PROCESS FOR DISQUALIFICATION AND VOTING RIGHTS OF DEFECTORS
Justice Aminuddin named inaugural Chief Justice of newly-established FCC ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Rs 20.00 | Vol XVI No 128 | 8 Pages | Lahore Edition
ISLAMABAD
The Federal Government on Thursday approved a comprehensive set of legislative amendments to harmonize the country’s defence laws with the recently enacted 27th Constitutional Amendment—a move aimed at modernizing Pakistan’s military command structure in line with contemporary operational and constitutional requirements. The Federal Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Parliament House, gave its nod to major revisions in the Pakistan Army Act, the Pakistan Air Force Act, and the Pakistan Navy Act, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a news release.
CJP convenes full court meeting today amid rising concerns among judges over 27th Amendment ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
In a significant development following the enactment of the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi convened a full court meeting on Friday after receiving requests from multiple Supreme Court judges to deliberate on the amendment’s implications for the judiciary. The call for the full court meeting came after Justice Salahuddin Panhwar became the third judge to formally request a judicial review of the amendment, which had been signed into law earlier in the day by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Top SC judges step down in protest ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
In the twist and turn of events following the enactment of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, Supreme Court Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah tendered their resignations on Thursday, raising serious concerns over the independence and authority of Pakistan’s apex court. The resignations came hours after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the controversial amendment into law, which has already sparked nationwide debate and opposition protests. Both justices had earlier written to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, urging him to convene a full court meeting or a judicial conference to discuss the amendment in detail. Their letters highlighted potential threats to judicial independence, administrative autonomy, and the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.