Islamabad, Nov. 9 — Opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Saturday rejected proposed changes to Article 243 of Pakistan’s Constitution under the 27th Amendment Bill, terming them “person-specific” and politically motivated. The alliance also announced a nationwide protest campaign against the legislation.
The move came a day after the Constitution (Twenty-Seventh Amendment) Act 2025 was introduced in the Senate. TTAP leaders — Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) Chairman Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas — addressed a joint press conference in Islamabad to denounce the proposed constitutional changes.
Khokhar said the amendments undermined the separation of powers guaranteed by the 1973 Constitution, alleging that they were “drafted to benefit a single office — that of the field marshal.” The bill proposes the creation of a new post, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), replacing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and designating the army chief as the constitutionally recognised head of all armed services.
The TTAP leaders also criticised provisions granting lifetime immunity to the president, calling them “person-specific.” Khokhar accused the political, military, and judicial elite of amending the Constitution to “protect themselves” rather than addressing public concerns such as poverty.
Achakzai and Abbas warned that the proposed restructuring concentrated excessive power in one office, with Abbas describing the plan as “a step toward fascism.” The alliance said it would organise a National Consultative Conference in Islamabad next week to finalise its strategy, including rallies, awareness drives, and outreach to civil society and legal associations.
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Meanwhile, PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar objected to the debate in the absence of an officially notified opposition leader, while the ruling PML-N and PPP maintained that the draft amendment had undergone “extensive scrutiny” before being tabled.
The TTAP vowed to continue its campaign, declaring that if passed, the 27th Amendment would mark “a departure from the 1973 social contract.”
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