Parliament gives Field Marshal extended command till 2030 after 27th Amendment

Pakistan’s parliament has approved amendments to the army act that will reset the tenure of Field Marshal Asim Munir when he takes up the newly created post of Chief of Defence Forces.

The changes were introduced shortly after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the approval of 27th Constitutional Amendment, which fundamentally restructures the military command and judiciary. 

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif presented the trio of amendments to the Army, Air Force and Navy Acts, while Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar introduced a parallel bill to amend the Supreme Court’s practice and procedure.

The decision passed through the National Assembly with little debate, bringing sharp opposition criticism for overlooking democratic and parliamentary defences.

The amendments mark the most significant shift in Pakistan’s military-legal dynamics in decades. Under this amendment, the COAS will automatically assume the office of CDF and commence a renewed five-year term from the date of his appointment as CDF. 

Since his appointment as Pakistan’s army chief was in November 2022, Munir will therefore remain in the post for a total of eight years, serving until 2030.

Additionally, the post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) has been abolished, to be replaced by a newly formed office of Commander National Strategic Command (CNSC). The CNSC will be nominated by the CDF and appointed by the prime minister for a three-year term, renewable for a further three years if need be.

Tarar stressed that the amendments “are not new laws. These are amendments to the present laws meant to harmonise the existing legislation with the recently signed 27th Constitutional Amendment Act.” In fact, the two legislations were approved in roughly nine minutes, with the house reportedly proceeding without argument. This procedural pace has provoked fierce criticism. 

Under the bill, the appointment of service chiefs will fall under the new unified command structure. The prime minister, on the recommendation of the CDF, will appoint the CNSC, and may also designate a vice or deputy chief of army staff to exercise full powers of the COAS if authorised.

The amendment further states that retirement age bar of 64 years for generals, air chief marshals and admirals won’t be applicable to these three functionaries and extensions, re-appointments for these posts will also be for five years. However, the tenure of the CJCSC had remained unchanged, at three years.

The Senate voted earlier on the  27th Constitutional Amendment, with 64 votes in favour and four against, despite opposition lawmakers shouting slogans of “aain ki tabahi, na manzoor”. The lower house then passed implementing legislation. The opposition claims the government has bypassed parliamentary norms and institutional checks. 

Field Marshal Munir became COAS on 29 November 2022 and was elevated to the rank of Field Marshal in May 2025 in recognition of his role in the recent conflict with India. The 27th Amendment grants him a position of CDF, consolidating command of the Army, Navy and Air Force under his leadership and providing him with constitutional safeguards such as immunity after his term ends. 

The government defends the changes as modernization of the defence and judicial frameworks bringing stability to Pakistan's security architecture. Critics, however, warn they may establish military dominance and weaken civilian oversight and judicial independence.