The 27th Constitutional Amendment is back in the Senate for a vote on Thursday (today), after additional changes to the bill on Wednesday. The bill approved by the National Assembly comprises 56 clauses and will be presented in the Senate in the same form. Out of these, eight clauses are set to be approved by the upper house.
Senate session
Questions over Senator Saifullah Abro’s resignation were raised with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Senator Ali Zafar, who stated that, according to Article 63A, Abro has been disqualified from the party due to voting against party policy in the Senate vote on the 27th Amendment on Monday.
JUI-F’s Kamran Murtaza also stated that JUI-F’s senator who voted against the party policy will also, under Article 63A has be disqualified from the party. “The bill that is coming, and we will vote against it, and take notice of this, this is our party leaders’ decision”.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, however, argued that, “They would know the constitution more than me. According to 63A, it’s not that the minute he casts his vote, he gets disqualified; the party head can send a reference against you. We should not political point scoring like this. You are de-seating him. This goes to the election commission, where there is a hearing and the individual is allowed a right of appeal”.
Chairperson of the Senate, Yousaf Raza Gillani, joined in the debate, stating, “I have not received any such resignation; I should’ve gotten it or the Election Commission”.
Further Amendments
The amendment includes the removal of changes previously made to Article 255, Article 214, and Clause 2 of Article 168, as well as the deletion of the amendment to Article 42. The Senate had earlier approved these four amendments in the original 27th Constitutional Amendment, but they were later removed through additional changes by the National Assembly.
The National Assembly also approved new amendments to Clause 2A of Article 6 and Clause 2A of Article 10, along with additional changes to Articles 176 and 260. The amendments also clarify the position of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and include the Federal Constitutional Court in Clause 2A of Article 6.
He further said that the amendment confirms that Justice Yahya Afridi will continue as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Minor revisions have also been made to Article 6, which now includes a reference to a constitutional court.
Initial reports suggest changes to Article 6 clause 2A, which pertains to treason. Sources within the PPP told The Express Tribune that the name of the Federal Constitutional Court will also be included alongside the Supreme Court.
According to the proposed amendment, any act of treason mentioned in sub-clause one or two shall not be validated by any court, including the Federal Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, or the High Courts.
In total, eight additional amendments were made in the National Assembly and will now be sent to the Senate for approval.
Deliberation over Senator Abro’s resignation
Asked about the voting position on the amendment bill in the Senate, Senator Ali Zafar told the media that Senator Saifullah Abro had submitted his resignation, so he cannot vote.
He criticised the bill, saying: “It is unfortunate that the bill passed in the Senate contained errors, and today it has had to be withdrawn. This raises questions over the Senate. We will see today who they bring in to vote”.
Read: 27th Constitution Amendment Bill sails through National Assembly with two-thirds majority
However, Chairperson of the Senate Yousaf Raza Gillani has stated that the Senate has already approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment. “The opposition has been given the improvements it wanted in the 27th Amendment,” he added.
He confirmed that Saifullah Abro’s written resignation has not been accepted. “The resignation of Saifullah Abro, if it reaches me, I may call him in. It is possible I might persuade him not to submit it,” the Senate Chairman said.
Despite Abro’s resignation being tendered in Parliament, the Senate Secretariat has not initiated formal proceedings, and the chairman has refrained from verifying or forwarding the matter for further action. As a result, a reference under Article 63-A, which deals with disqualification on grounds of defection, has also not been sent.
Senator Abro, who had defected from the PTI after voting in favour of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, had submitted his resignation to the upper house earlier.
Opposition protest
The opposition alliance has announced a nationwide political movement from Friday against the 27th Constitutional Amendment, vowing to restore the powers of the judiciary and the office of the chief justice that they claim have been curtailed by the amendment.
“The office of the chief justice has been abolished — we will restore it,” Barrister Gohar declared. “We will restore the dignity and powers of the judiciary,” he added, arguing that while judicial reforms may be necessary, the government’s current approach toward the judges was “unacceptable.”
Flanked by Barrister Gohar, Mahmood Khan Achakzai announced that the opposition’s protest campaign would begin on Friday. He stressed that the movement would remain peaceful and that it aimed to restore the people’s mandate, which he said had been “stolen.”
Achakzai said the campaign would combine domestic demonstrations with diplomatic outreach. “We will protest and we will not even throw a stone,” he vowed. “We will also write to foreign envoys, urging them to reconsider or rescind any agreements made with the current government.”
After the 27th constitutional amendment, sources revealed to The Express Tribune that judges are deliberating whether to tender their resignation.
It is learnt that two Supreme Court judges are seriously considering the option of resigning from their offices. On the other hand, some judges are urging them to fight for the independence of the institution within the system.
Read more: Senate approves 27th Amendment with two-thirds majority
Meanwhile, a lawyers’ convention of the Karachi Bar has strongly condemned the passing of the 27th Amendment and termed it a betrayal of the oath of parliamentarians to defend and preserve the Constitution. The amendment demolishes one of the three constitutional pillars of the state, namely the judiciary, and replaces the Supreme Court with a crony Federal Court handpicked by the prime minister
. “We further condemn the failure of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and those members of the Supreme Court (in particular, its Constitutional Bench) who have shown their complete indifference, over the last year, to the destruction of an independent judiciary simply to preserve their well-paid offices.”
Senate approval
The Senate approved the 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2025 on Monday, with a two-thirds majority amid uproar from opposition members. Opposition members from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged strong protests in the chamber, tearing up copies of the bill and chanting slogans in front of the chairman’s dais.
To pass a constitutional amendment in the Senate, a two-thirds majority is required, meaning 64 out of 96 senators must vote in favour.
Hover over the graphic below to view the breakdown of seats in the Senate.
The ruling alliance currently holds 63 of the 96 Senate seats. Senator Irfan Siddiqui is undergoing treatment in the hospital, and Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani is also unable to cast his vote, complicating the government’s efforts. To secure approval, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are coordinating efforts to win support from National Party senators.
Within the coalition, the PML-N holds 20 seats, the PPP 26, while the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has four, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) three, and one each from the National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Also read: Opposition pledges to make govt ‘miserable’
Independent senators aligned with the government—Abdul Karim, Abdul Qadir, Mohsin Naqvi, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, Asad Qasim, and Faisal Vawda—are also expected to support the amendment. On the opposition side, independent Senator Naseema Ehsan and three Awami National Party (ANP) senators have pledged their votes.
The 27th Constitutional Amendment
The proposed amendments include four core proposals:
Article 199 & 200
The President has the power to transfer High Court judges between provinces on Judicial Commission’s recommendation
A judge refusing transfer shall be deemed retired
Article 248
A new clause grants the President lifetime legal immunity
If the President is elected back into office, immunity will be waived for the duration of their time in public office
Article 243
Office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to be abolished from November 27, 2025.
Strategic military authority to be concentrated under the Chief of the Defence Forces.
Officers granted constitutional protection can only be removed through the Article 47 procedure.
Presidential immunity under Article 248 extended to these officers.
Federal Constitutional Courts (New Chapter – Part VII)
FCC to have original jurisdiction in Constitutional disputes between the government and fundamental rights enforcement cases
Pending petitions or appeals in the Supreme Court or its constitutional benches under this jurisdiction are to be transferred to FCC.
Abolishes suo motu powers of SC and deletes Articles 184, 186, and 191A.
