Bilawal: 27th Amendment to provide constitutional protection to field marshal

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Wednesday that the 27th Constitutional Amendment seeks to grant constitutional protection to the rank of field marshal.

Addressing the National Assembly, Bilawal stated that after Pakistan’s victory over India, the prime minister decided to confer the title of field marshal on the army chief. He added that the current amendment not only safeguards that rank but also introduces changes related to the country’s defence institutions.

The PPP leader urged members of parliament — both from the treasury and opposition benches — to set aside their political and ideological differences when it comes to the country’s security. He stressed that Pakistan must remain united against terrorism, noting that although the threat had reemerged, the nation had defeated it before and could do so again.

Bilawal said his party has always worked toward ensuring consensus in legislative processes, recalling how the PPP played a similar role during the passage of the 18th Amendment and the 1973 Constitution.

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Speaking about the 26th Amendment, he mentioned that both the PTI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl had agreed to the formation of the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench and that their concerns had been addressed in the process.

Referring to the ongoing constitutional changes, Bilawal said the 27th Amendment would help fulfill the pending commitments of the Charter of Democracy and pave the way for establishing constitutional courts under Article 243.

He emphasised that the true strength of a legislature lies not in its numerical majority but in the consensus it builds — citing the unity that existed during the framing of the 1973 Constitution.

Bilawal reaffirmed that the provincial rights secured under the 18th Amendment could not be rolled back, as they were achieved through agreement among all major political parties. He acknowledged, however, that while the current government had the majority to pass the amendment, it had been unable to achieve the same level of consensus.