The 27th Constitutional Amendment in Pakistan, signed into law on November 13, 2025, has generated significant controversy due to its wide-ranging implications, particularly for the judiciary, civil-military relations, and provincial autonomy. Proponents argue it improves governance and national security, while critics contend it undermines judicial independence and the constitutional balance of power.

The cat is out of the bag: the 27th Amendment is now a part of the Constitution amid the raging controversies and doubts it has generated in the national media and in the minds of the people of Pakistan. This latest amendment to the Constitution of 1973 has created a new Federal Constitutional Court that will handle pure constitutional disputes or cases related to fundamental rights.

The power to transfer senior judges has been transferred from the Chief Justices to the office of the elected Prime Minister. District-level courts will now have magistrates to handle petty crimes and maintain public order, to reduce the burden on the courts. This amendment was the subject of discussion in the political circles of Pakistan for the last many months.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari brought it into the open on November 3. In a post on X, he wrote that a delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had visited him and President Asif Ali Zardari to seek their support for the approval of the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The PPP and PML-N are partners in the federal coalition government.

The amendment had easy sailing through both houses of Parliament, and the coalition government of Shehbaz Sharif was able to get it approved by an absolute majority, but there is concern that the amendment is a threat to democracy, as critics fear that the federal government is trying to weaken the judiciary and take........

© The Friday Times