Twenty-seventh Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (1973) has been amended several times to adjust the balance of powers between the federation and the provinces, redefine institutional roles, and respond to changing political and security realities. The 27th Amendment follows the 26th Amendment, which was passed in October 2024. After gaining a parliamentary majority, the second Shehbaz Sharif government proposed the 27th Amendment to address a set of issues, i.e., judicial structure (including the formation of the Constitutional Court), federal–provincial relations, military command arrangements (particularly the revision of Article 243), and top appointments in the armed forces. ==Objectives and key proposals==

According to official statements and media reporting, the key elements of the proposed amendments include: • Abolition of the Supreme Court's role in hearing constitutional cases • Establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan to hear constitutional questions, including inter-provincial and federal–provincial disputes • Granting lifetime ranks, privileges and status to officials holding formal senior positions such as Field Marshal of the Army, Marshal of the Air Force, or Admiral of the Fleet • Reviewing the distribution of federal revenue among provinces through the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, and the possible transfer of certain subjects (education, population planning) from the provinces to the federation ==Legislative process==

The federal cabinet approved the draft bill of the 27th Amendment on 8 November 2025. On the same day, the bill was presented in the Senate of Pakistan by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and sent to the Senate and National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice for joint consideration. ==Reactions==

• The main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), strongly opposes the amendment. It has called the move a strike at the very foundation of the constitutional structure and a "conspiracy against the Constitution". • Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja called it "a ploy to enslave us ... to turn the judicial system into an instrument of oppression." • The opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Aayin Pakistan (TTAP), including PTI, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and others announced a nationwide protest campaign under slogans like "Long live democracy, down with dictatorship". They asserted that the move undermines the basic structure of the constitution. • In a reaction to the passage of the amendment, two senior judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, namely Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah, submitted their resignations in a letter to President Asif Ali Zardari on 13 November 2025. The two judges framed their decisions in principle: Justice Shah called the amendment "a serious attack on the Constitution of Pakistan … it abolishes the Supreme Court … and subjects the judiciary to executive control," while Justice Minallah declared that "the Constitution that I swore to uphold … is no more" and that what remains is "a mere shadow". • The International Commission of Jurists called it "a full-frontal assault on the rule of law" while citing that the appointment of judges would now fall under the executive body, not in line with international standards. • Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chair of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, said Pakistan no longer had a constitution, an independent judiciary, or a functioning social contract, describing the amendment as an unforgivable crime against the nation and claiming it had effectively elevated one man to the position of a king above all. == See also ==