ISLAMABAD — Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday signed the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, a law that expands the powers of the army chief and grants him lifelong legal immunity. The law also limits the independence of the Supreme Court.
Field Marshal Asim Munir, the powerful army chief who is widely seen as a de facto ruler of the country, was the main benefactor from the 27th constitutional amendment, which was passed by the parliamentary lower house on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the Senate passed the bill after a second round of voting amid opposition’s protest. The clauses of the amendment were already approved with two-thirds majority.
The bill, previously passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday, comprises 56 clauses and was presented in the Senate in the same form. JUI-F members remained present in the House, while defected senators Saifullah Abro and Ahmad Khan from PTI and JUI-F joined the session to cast their votes, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported.
Initially, the bill was presented in the Senate for voting on Monday and passed the same day. The bill was then referred to the National Assembly, which passed it on Wednesday with some amendments. The proposed legislation was again presented in the senate on Thursday to consider the changes.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar again tabled the bill in the upper house on Thursday. Elaborating on the changes in the bill, he said the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) would continue to hold this post until he held the office, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported. He stated that after CJP’s retirement, the senior most judge among the top-most judges of the Supreme Court and the planned Federal Constitutional Court would have the title of the CJP.
Tarar said that, as per the proposed amendment, the CJP would administer the oath to the president, chief election commissioner and auditor general of Pakistan. Elaborating on changes to Article 6 of the Constitution, which deals with the subject of treason, he said the provision would now read, “Any court in Pakistan, be it the Federal Constitutional Court that will now, God willing, be established, the Supreme Court or high courts, cannot validate the abrogation of [of the Constitution].” He contended that it was similar to blocking martial laws and upholding democracy.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ali Zafar said that 27th Amendment was based on “deceit and fraud” and slammed the government for its “haste.”
He said, “They want to establish their constitutional court at the earliest so that they can control it. And the reason behind the haste is the fear of one person (Imran Khan), who is in jail a few miles away from here.”
Ali Zafar stated that people of Pakistan were not in favour of the proposed legislation. He said, “The very foundation of the 27th Amendment is based on fraud and deception, and this building is going to fall,” he warned.
Meanwhile, the opposition alliance has said that they would start a political movement against the new law from Friday, pledging to restore judiciary and the office of the chief justice’s power that they claim have been curbed by the amendment, The Express Tribune reported.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, “The office of the chief justice has been abolished — we will restore it.” He stated, “We will restore the dignity and powers of the judiciary,” he added, arguing that while judicial reforms may be necessary, the government’s current approach toward the judges was “unacceptable.”
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced that opposition will start protest on Friday. He said that movement will remain peaceful and is aimed to restore the mandate of the people, which he claimed had been “stolen. — Agencies
