ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan is once again on the brink of political chaos as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government pushes a controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment that critics say will undermine democracy, weaken the judiciary, and entrench military dominance over the civilian government.
The proposed amendment seeks to abolish the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and replace it with a newly created position — Chief of Defense Forces — a move widely seen as an attempt to consolidate military authority under a single powerful command structure.
At the same time, the government plans to curtail the powers of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, establish a Federal Constitutional Court to override it, and grant the President lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution — effectively placing the country’s most powerful figures beyond legal accountability.
The amendment, presented in the Senate on Saturday by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, has sparked an immediate outcry from opposition parties, civil society, and legal experts who warn that the proposal represents a dangerous assault on Pakistan’s fragile democracy.
“This is not reform — it’s a coup through the Constitution,” said Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, head of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), a member of the new opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Aeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP). “Pakistan’s democratic institutions are paralyzed, and the nation must rise against this amendment before it’s too late.”
The TTAP coalition, which includes the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as well as nationalist parties from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, announced nationwide protests beginning Sunday, accusing the Sharif government of dismantling constitutional checks and balances to cement authoritarian control.
Senate Speaker Yusuf Raza Gilani has referred the amendment to a parliamentary committee, where the government is reportedly confident of securing the required two-thirds majority to pass the measure. Once approved by the Senate, it will move to the National Assembly, where another supermajority is needed before being sent to the President for ratification.
Analysts warn that if passed, the amendment would further blur the line between military and civilian authority, consolidating Pakistan’s long history of military interference in politics. The move to weaken the Supreme Court — long a thorn in the side of Pakistan’s rulers — has also raised fears of complete judicial subservience.
For many Pakistanis, this proposed constitutional overhaul represents yet another chapter in the country’s downward spiral into authoritarianism, where democracy remains an illusion and power continues to rest in the hands of the few.
