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Pakistan's parliament has passed a constitutional amendment granting life-long legal immunity to its army chief while expanding his powers and curbing those of the Supreme Court, a move the opposition said has "sunk the ship of democracy" in the country.
The National Assembly approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill with more than a two-thirds majority, with 234 lawmakers voting in favour and only four opposing it, according to Dawn. The 59-clause bill had been cleared by the Senate earlier this week, receiving 64 votes in favour with no opposition votes as opposition benches boycotted proceedings. Dawn reported that the bill will now be sent back to the Senate for reconsideration of minor amendments, after which it will move to President Asif Ali Zardari for assent. Under the amendment, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff will also hold the title of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), making the position the formal head of Pakistan's army, navy, and air force. The bill also preserves honorary military titles such as Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force, and Admiral of the Fleet as lifetime designations. The change places General Asim Munir at the centre of Pakistan's defence structure, giving the army chief broader constitutional recognition and influence than any of his predecessors. The amendment further establishes a new Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) to handle constitutional cases, effectively reducing the role of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which in recent years has blocked government policies and removed sitting prime ministers, as per Dawn. Judges of the new court will be appointed by the government, and it will function separately from the existing Supreme Court. According to the report, the title of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) will remain with the current officeholder, but future appointments will define the CJP as the senior-most judge among the chief justices of both the Supreme Court and the new FCC. The new court will also be barred from ratifying acts of high treason, a clause critics say shields state institutions, including the military, from accountability. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), founded by the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, staged a walkout before the vote, tearing up copies of the bill in protest. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the government had "sunk the ship of democracy and judicial independence." He added, "They introduced another amendment that we're only seeing for the first time. In Article 260, there are definitions for everything... but they added a new subclause without due debate." Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif defended the passage of the bill, saying parliament had shown "solidarity and national unity." (ANI)
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