- Title: Pakistan parliament approves more powers for army chief, curbs top court
- Date: 12th November 2025
- Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (NOVEMBER 12, 2025) (ANI - No use India) VARIOUS OF POLICE PERSONNEL AND DOG SQUAD WALKING AT BLAST SITE FORENSIC TEAM MEMBER ON MOBILE PHONE/POLICE PERSONNEL STANDING NEAR BLAST SITE VARIOUS OF FORENSIC TEAM MEMBER WALKING NEAR BLAST SITE (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIAN MINISTER FOR INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY, ASHWINI VAISHNAW, SAYING: "The cabinet expressed
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Pakistan army court military power
- Location: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN / WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN / WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Crime/Law/Justice
- Reuters ID: LVA003153212112025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Pakistan's parliament approved a constitutional amendment on Wednesday (November 12) to expand the powers of the army chief and curb the remit of its Supreme Court, a move that critics said had done irreparable harm to the country's democracy.
The lower house of parliament approved the legislation with a more than two-thirds majority, with only four lawmakers voting against.
The upper house passed the bill two days earlier after the opposition boycotted the debate — an unusually swift passage for a constitutional change. Such amendments usually require weeks or months of consideration. The amendment will become law once signed by the president, a formality.
Army chief Asim Munir will now be elevated to the new post of Chief of Defence Forces, placing the navy and air force under his command in addition to the army. After completion of his term, he will retain his rank and have legal immunity for life.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the amendment as a step toward institutional harmony and national unity.
Critics say the changes concentrate power in the hands of the military and the ruling coalition.
Under the amendment, constitutional cases will move from the Supreme Court to a new Federal Constitutional Court, whose judges will be appointed by the government. In recent years, the Supreme Court has blocked government policies and ousted prime ministers.
Opposition lawmakers from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), founded by jailed former premier Imran Khan, walked out before the vote and tore up copies of the bill in protest, saying they had not been consulted.
Legal experts warned the reform could erode judicial independence.
The military has long wielded extensive influence in Pakistan's politics, but the reforms give it greater constitutional backing that would be difficult to reverse.
Meanwhile, security was beefed up in Islamabad a day after a suicide bomber killed 12 people in Pakistan's capital in a sharp escalation of militant violence that the defence minister said had pushed the country into a "state of war".
The suicide bombing outside an Islamabad court wounded 27 people, in addition to at least 12 killed, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said. The court bomber blew himself up near the entrance at around lunchtime.
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