Field Marshal forever? Sharif govt seeks PPP backing for 27th amendment to secure Munir’s tenure

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said that a Pakistan Muslim League (N) delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approached President Asif Ali Zardari and the PPP for support on the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. He shared the development on X, adding that the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) will meet on November 6, after President Zardari returns from Doha, to decide the party’s stance.

According to CNN-News18, the amendment aims to formalise the rank and tenure of Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s current Chief of Army Staff, whose official term ends on November 28, 2025. The move is seen as an attempt by the Sharif government to secure Munir’s continuation in office by giving constitutional backing to the rank of Field Marshal — a title that currently has no legal status in Pakistan’s Constitution or Army Act.

The proposal reportedly includes broader institutional changes, such as setting up a constitutional court, restoring executive magistrates, transferring judges, revising provincial financial protections under the National Finance Commission (NFC), and returning education and population planning to the federal government.

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Officials told CNN-News18 that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Pakistan Army have held high-level discussions to avoid what they describe as a “constitutional vacuum” when Munir’s term ends. The proposed amendment to Article 243 would define and protect the powers and tenure of a Field Marshal — effectively granting Munir a secure and extended position.

Critics argue the move risks deepening Pakistan’s long-standing civil-military imbalance, with analysts calling it “a bid to consolidate military influence under constitutional cover.”