Islamabad, Nov 4 (PTI) Pakistan’s National Assembly Monday hurriedly amended relevant laws to increase the terms of armed services chiefs, including the army chief, to five years from three and double the number of Supreme Court judges amidst protest by jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif presented the Pakistan (Army/Air Force/Navy) Act Amendment, 2024 to make several changes in the rules related to the term of services of army, air and naval chiefs as amendments to the Pakistan Army, Air Force, and Navy Acts to increase the tenures of service chiefs.
According to the Army Act Amendment Bill, 1952, the rules of retirement of a general in the Pakistan Army will not apply to the army chief. Apart from that, the House also approved the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 and the Pakistan Navy Amendment Bill, 1961, by a majority vote.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, “The purpose of these amendments is to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 … The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961…and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953… with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws”.
The proposed bill to amend the Army Act, the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act, 2024, aims to extend the tenure of the Chief of Army Staff from three to five years.
“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression ‘three (03)’ the word ‘five (05)’ shall be substituted,” the bill said.
Similarly, the bill aims to increase the length of time the service chief can be reappointed or have their tenure extended to five years instead of three.
“In the said Act, in section 8B, in sub-section (1)- 10 for the expression ‘three (03)’, occurring twice, the expression ‘five (05)’ shall be substituted,” the bill read.
The amendment bill has made a substitution to Section 8C, removing the 64-year age limit.
The proposed amendment reads as follows: “The retirement age and service limits prescribed for a General, under the Rules and Regulations made under this Act, shall not be applicable to the Chief of the Army Staff, during his tenure of appointment, reappointment and/or extension. Throughout such tenure, the Chief of the Army Staff shall continue to serve as a General in the Pakistan Army.” Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented another key bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 34.
“This amendment will increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court up to 34 so that the backlog of cases can be cleared and that after the 26th Amendment, we can have judges to form the constitutional benches,” Tarar said.
Soon after the law minister presented the bill in the assembly and finished his speech, voting on the bill was carried out despite protest by the opposition.
Additionally, the law minister introduced the Islamabad High Court Amendment Bill 2024, explaining that the number of judges in the High Court would be raised from nine to 12.
After passing the bills, the Speaker adjourned the meeting of the National Assembly till 11 am Tuesday.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protested against the bills in the House and continued chanting slogans throughout the session, while the party chief Gohar Ali Khan, speaking outside the parliament, decried the passage of the bills.
“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy,” he said.
The move was also condemned by other political parties, including the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami. “The path for legal martial law has been paved in Pakistan,” its leader Mushtaq Khan posted on X. PTI SH ZH ZH
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