Parliament approves bill extending tenure of services chiefs up to 5 years

ISLAMABAD (Agencies): The National Assembly on Monday approved a legislative amendment to extend the tenures of all armed services chiefs from three to five years. Hours later, the Senate approved the same set of bills, sending them to President Asif Ali Zardari for final approval.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif presented amendments to the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force Acts, which were passed by majority vote amidst intense protests from opposition members. This amendment will extend the tenure of all military chiefs from three to five years.
The proposed changes will align the retirement and reappointment regulations across the armed forces, giving the president authority, upon the prime minister’s advice, to appoint, reappoint, or extend terms for these positions for up to five years. The amendments remove previous age limits and extend tenure options, enabling the Chief of Army Staff and other military leaders to continue serving as generals beyond the earlier prescribed 64 years, should national security or critical needs arise. Moreover, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar also presented proposals to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court, which were subsequently approved by the House.
Tarar presented the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill 2024 for parliamentary approval, proposing an increase in the number of Supreme Court judges to 34. As the bill was introduced, the opposition erupted into chaos, raising slogans and protesting. 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.
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.
These legislative moves reflect the government’s focus on judicial reform and the standardisation of military leadership tenures, addressing institutional demands and fostering continuity.
APP adds: The National Assembly on Monday passed six bills including “The Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024 with majority vote, following a detailed clause-by-clause review.
The bills include the “Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” the “Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” Pak Army Amendment Bill, 2024,” the Pakistan Air Force Amendment Bill, 2024,” and the “Pakistan Navy Amendment Bill, 2024.”
The bills were presented by Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar and Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif in the House.
Highlighting the key features of the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024, law minister Tarar stated that the number of judges may be increased to as many as 34.
He explained that this measure was aimed at tackling the backlog of cases at the Supreme Court and emphasized that the number of judges would be adjusted over time-based requirements.
Furthermore, the number of judges in the Islamabad High Court has been increased from the current nine to twelve with the passage of the High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Meanwhile the Senate on Monday approved six crucial bills including the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2024 as passed by the National Assembly, amid the opposition uproar.
The bills included the Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Earlier, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar moved a motion to suspend the House business and take up the supplementary agenda which was adopted by the House.
The three initial bills related to Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court were piloted by Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar in the House while the remaining three bills pertaining to Army, Navy and Air Force were moved by Minister of Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
The House passed all the bills through clause-by-clause readings.
The Supreme Court Number of Judges (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aimed at increasing number of SC judges to 34 which would help tackle the backlog of cases at the Supreme Court.
Similarly, under the Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the number of judges in the Islamabad High Court has also been increased from nine to twelve.
Furthermore, the Senate also passed amendments to the Pakistan (Army/Air Force/Navy) Act Amendment Bills 2024 to enhance the tenures of service chiefs.
In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” says the bill. Sub-section 1 of Section 8A states that “the President shall, on the advice of the Prime Minister, appoint a General as the Chief of the Army Staff, for a tenure of three (03) years,” read the bill.
Similarly, the proposed bill aimed to increase the length of time the service chief can be reappointed or have their tenure extended to five years, instead of three as outlined in Section 8B.
Section 8B of the Army Act reads as follows: “The President, on the advice of the Prime Minister, may reappoint the Chief of the Army Staff for additional tenure of three (03) years, or extend the tenure(s) of the Chief of the Army Staff up to three (03) years, on such terms and conditions, as may be determined by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, in the national security interest or exigencies, from time to time.”
“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 2024 bill read.
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.”
Later, the Presiding Officer prorogued the Senate session sine die after conclusion of the business. The Chair read the prorogation order signed by the President.