A report says constitutional amendments and new legislation have centralised unprecedented military authority around Pakistan’s army chief without a formal coup or martial law….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is consolidating unprecedented authority over the country’s political and military structure through constitutional changes and new legislation, according to a report by Afghanistan-based news agency Khaama Press.
The report said Pakistan’s growing military dominance was being entrenched through parliamentary and legal mechanisms rather than through a traditional military coup or declaration of martial law.
“Pakistan has completed another stage in the consolidation of military authority around Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir — this time not through a coup or martial law, but through legislation passed by the country’s elected parliament,” the report said.
It pointed to legislation passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on August 20, including the Defence Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026, and amendments to the National Command Authority Act, 2010.
According to the report, the measures followed the 27th Constitutional Amendment and significantly reshaped the country’s military command structure.
The Defence Forces of Pakistan Act establishes a Defence Forces Headquarters under the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), who also serves as the Prime Minister’s principal military adviser on national security and defence matters.
The legislation also gives the CDF operational command and control over Pakistan’s armed forces, bringing the Army, Navy and Air Force under a more centralised command structure. Munir currently holds the positions of both Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces.
Khaama Press argued that the changes represent more than administrative reforms, describing them as a significant concentration of military authority in a single office.
The report said the process began with the 27th Constitutional Amendment in November 2025, which it said fundamentally altered Pakistan’s civil-military balance.
Citing British think tank Chatham House, the report said the constitutional changes had shifted Pakistan further towards authoritarian rule by expanding the powers of the Chief of Defence Forces and providing exceptional protections to five-star military officers.
It noted that the amendment grants lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution to five-star officers and requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority for their removal, contrasting this with the simpler process required to remove an elected prime minister.
The report concluded that the key question facing Pakistan was no longer simply the extent of Munir’s power, but whether civilian institutions retained the capacity or political will to act as a check on the increasingly centralised military authority.
