President Asif Ali Zardari has given assent to the much-debated 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2025, following its approval by both houses of Parliament, thereby making it a formal part of the Constitution. “The Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2025 is assented to, as advised by the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif], at Para-5 of the Summary,” stated an official notification from the President’s House.
The development came shortly after the Senate passed the bill with 64 votes in favour and four against, achieving the required two-thirds majority in the 96-member House.
The approval followed the National Assembly’s endorsement of an amended version of the bill a day earlier amid strong opposition protests. Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the revised draft, while Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani declared its passage after the voting.
The amendment introduces significant structural changes to Pakistan’s judicial and constitutional framework. It refines the composition and authority of the newly established Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), clarifies the titles and hierarchy of top judges, and removes several previously proposed changes to oath-related constitutional provisions.
One of the most notable revisions amends Article 6(2A), explicitly including the Federal Constitutional Court within the ambit of high treason.
Another addition to Article 10(4) references the Supreme Court in preventive detention cases. Provisions altering the oaths of constitutional officeholders—including those of the president, auditor general, and chief election commissioner—were dropped from the final text.
The amendment also defines the “Chief Justice of Pakistan” as the senior among the Chief Justice of the FCC and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, establishing a clear judicial hierarchy. The ruling coalition comfortably secured the two-thirds majority in the National Assembly with 234 votes in favour, while four JUI-F members opposed the bill.
