Senate approves Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force Amendment Bills 2025

The Senate has approved Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force Amendment Bills 2025 on Friday, after the National Assembly passed them a day ago.

In the session, chaired by Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani, Deputy Prime Minister and Senator Ishaq Dar presented the Army Act Amendment Bill. Members of Upper House passed the Pakistan Army, Navy, Air Force Amendment Bills 2025 with a majority vote.

While the bills received broad backing, some senators voiced concerns. JUI-F’s Kamran Murtaza and PTI’s Humayun Mehmood requested the bills be referred to a committee for further scrutiny. Despite this, the amendments were passed with majority.

The Pakistan Air Force Act Amendment Bill 2025 introduces significant changes, including the deletion of Sections 10D, 10E, and 10F from the Pakistan Air Force Act 1953. Section 202 was also amended to remove references to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Pakistan Navy Act Amendment Bill 2025 was presented by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and was approved in the same session.

During the question hour, Senator Danish Kumar raised concerns over transparency regarding SOE officers’ allowances under the Ministry of Finance. Minister of State for Finance Bilal Kayani assured senators that all questions are addressed, and further details would be provided in committee proceedings. He noted that 21 officers are posted under SOEs and appointments are made based on merit.

The bills were present in the Senate today, following the 27th Constitutional Amendment and the approval of the Army Act 2025 by the National Assembly.

Under the amended law, a fresh notification will appoint the Army Chief as Chief of Defence Forces, restarting the Army Chief’s tenure. The Chief of Defence Forces will oversee the restructuring and integration of all branches of the army, while the Commander National Strategic Command will be appointed for a three-year term, renewable once.

Notably, the legislation stipulates that the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee position will be abolished from November 27, 2025, marking a major restructuring of Pakistan’s military command framework.