As Parliament sessions were scheduled to begin at 4 PM for the National Assembly and 6 PM for the Senate, delays were reported, with updates confirming that they had not commenced by 6:24 PM.
Govt moves to extend tenure of service chiefs from three to five years. The federal government of Pakistan is preparing to introduce a key bill aimed at extending the tenure of the three service chiefs—from three years to five—during a joint session of Parliament on Monday. This proposal includes the heads of the army, air force, and navy, who would see their terms lengthened under the new legislation.
Sources within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) indicated that the bill regarding this extension will be presented after consultations with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Although the PPP’s input is still pending, expectations are high that the bill will be introduced today, despite the possibility of postponement for further discussions.
In addition to the tenure extension, there is a “strong possibility” that other significant bills, including the Anti-Terrorism Amendment Bill and a proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 34, will be approved during the session.
The legislative move follows a precedent set in January 2020, when the Senate passed a law allowing the government to extend the army chief’s term at the prime minister’s discretion. This legislation, seen by some as a consolidation of military power, allowed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to extend the term of then-army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa for three additional years.
More recently, on March 17, 2024, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif granted a one-year extension to Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, further highlighting the ongoing trend of extending military leadership tenures.
As Parliament sessions were scheduled to begin at 4 PM for the National Assembly and 6 PM for the Senate, delays were reported, with updates confirming that they had not commenced by 6:24 PM. The agenda for the National Assembly session includes several important legislative items, such as the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Amendment Ordinance and a motion expressing gratitude for President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent address to a joint session.
