ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (Alliance News): Parliament on Thursday passed two important pieces of legislation aimed at providing a legal framework for changes made to Pakistan’s military command and strategic institutions under the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The National Assembly and Senate approved the Defence Forces Act, 2026, and amendments to the National Command Authority Act, 2010, through majority votes.
The legislation had earlier been approved by the federal cabinet during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The cabinet’s approval paved the way for the bills to be presented before Parliament for consideration and passage.
The Defence Forces Act, 2026, establishes the legal and administrative framework for the office of the Chief of Defence Forces and the Chief of Defence Forces Headquarters. The legislation is intended to define the functioning of the newly created command structure and provide the necessary statutory backing for the changes introduced through the constitutional amendment.
The second bill amends the National Command Authority Act, 2010, which provides the legal framework for Pakistan’s national strategic command system. The amendments are intended to bring the existing law into conformity with the new constitutional and military command arrangements.
The legislation follows the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which Parliament passed in November 2025 and which introduced major changes to Pakistan’s judicial and military structures. One of the key changes was the abolition of the office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the creation of the new position of Chief of Defence Forces.
Following the constitutional changes, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir became Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces. The new arrangement places the country’s military command structure under a revised framework aimed at strengthening coordination among the armed forces.
The constitutional amendment also provided for the establishment of the National Strategic Command. The newly created command is headed by a four-star officer and is responsible for the operational integration of Pakistan’s strategic forces.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier promoted then-Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Raza to the rank of four-star general and appointed him to lead the newly established National Strategic Command.
The passage of the two bills gives statutory backing to these institutional changes and formally aligns existing defence laws with the constitutional framework introduced through the 27th Amendment.
The legislation also reflects the government’s effort to establish clear legal and administrative procedures for the functioning of the revised military command and strategic institutions. With approval from both houses of Parliament, the bills will now proceed through the remaining constitutional process before becoming enforceable law.
