On Monday, the National Assembly gave its approval to a compelling legislative amendment, extending the tenures of all armed services chiefs from three to five years. Mere hours later, the Senate also ratified this series of bills, forwarding them to President Asif Ali Zardari for final endorsement.
In a session marked by fervent opposition protests, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif put forward amendments to the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force Acts, which were successfully passed by a majority vote. This transformative amendment will lengthen the service terms of all military chiefs from three to five years.
The proposed revisions aim to harmonize the retirement and reappointment rules across the armed forces, granting the president the authority to appoint, reappoint, or extend terms for these roles—up to five years—based on the prime minister’s counsel.
These changes eliminate earlier age restrictions and broaden tenure options, permitting the Chief of Army Staff and other senior military leaders to persist in their duties past the previously set limit of 64 years, should national security or significant needs demand.
Furthermore, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar put forth proposals to bolster the number of judges in the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court, which the House promptly approved.
Introducing the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill 2024 for parliamentary judgment, Tarar suggested increasing the number of Supreme Court judges to 34. The opposition responded with pandemonium, chanting slogans and staging protests as the bill was tabled.
Moreover, the law minister presented the Islamabad High Court Amendment Bill 2024, clarifying that the number of judges in the High Court would be expanded from nine to 12.
The changes also include amendments to the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, to incorporate constitutional benches, expanding the scope and composition of judicial panels.
Proposed additions to Article 191A of the Constitution will enable these benches to address constitutional matters, with an administrative committee of senior judges responsible for allocating cases to either the Supreme Court or constitutional benches.
Despite the disruption, the minister briefed the assembly on the provisions of the bills, highlighting the backlog of thousands of pending cases at the Supreme Court’s registry, which necessitates the increase in judicial capacity.
Tarar highlighted the need for additional judges to manage case backlogs and facilitate the formation of constitutional benches.
He noted that various bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), had advocated for this increase to expedite cases across Pakistan’s judicial centers in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Lahore.
Immediately after the law minister and the defence minister presented the bills, the National Assembly proceeded with voting despite ongoing noisy protests from the opposition and approved the amendments.
During the voting session, opposition members disrupted proceedings, chanting slogans, surrounding the Speaker’s dais, and tearing copies of the bill in protest. The uproar escalated, with some members engaging in physical altercations.