Pakistan: Army Chief Asim Munir above civil govt, clips SC's power

Pakistan’s Senate on Wednesday passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment, granting Army Chief Asim Munir sweeping powers and placing him above the civilian government. Shehbaz Sharif remains Prime Minister, but real authority now rests with Munir, marking a historic power shift in Pakistan. Also under the changes, constitutional cases will be taken away from the Supreme Court and instead go before a new Federal Constitutional Court, whose judges will be appointed by the government. In recent years, the Supreme Court has blocked government policies and ousted prime ministers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the amendment as a step toward institutional harmony and national unity.“If we’ve made this part of the Constitution today, it’s not just about the field marshal,” Sharif said, adding that it also recognized the air force and navy. “What’s wrong with that?” he asked the speaker. “Nations honor their heroes … We know how to show and earn respect to our heroes.” Under the amendment, constitutional cases will move from the Supreme Court to a new Federal Constitutional Court, whose judges will be appointed by the government. In recent years, the Supreme Court has blocked government policies and ousted prime ministers.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), founded by jailed former premier Imran Khan, said it had not been consulted on the legislation. “None of the parliamentarians cared about democracy and the judiciary being eliminated. They have voted for being a silent observer whilst the country becomes a banana republic,” PTI spokesman Zulfikar Bukhari said. “Rest in peace constitution of Pakistan.”
The military has long wielded extensive influence in Pakistan’s politics, but the reforms give it greater constitutional backing that would be difficult to reverse. Constitutional lawyer Mirza Moiz Baig said the amendment spelled “the death knell of an independent judiciary,” giving the prime minister and president power to hand-pick the chief justice and other judges of the new Federal Constitutional Court, weakening its ability to check government overreach.