NA passes Defence Forces, National Command Authority amendment bills

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed the Defence Forces Act 2026 and the National Command Authority Act 2010 amendment bills by a majority vote.

Both pieces of legislation aimed at aligning the existing legal framework with changes introduced through the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif moved both bills in the National Assembly, which approved them despite objections from opposition lawmakers that they had not been given sufficient time to examine the proposed legislation.

What is Pakistan Defence Forces Act 2026?

The Pakistan Defence Forces Act 2026 establishes a unified legal and administrative framework for the country’s armed forces under the new higher defence command structure.

The Act, which will be deemed to have come into force from November 13, 2025, provides for the establishment of a single Defence Forces Headquarters, which will also serve as the headquarters of the armed forces.

Under the new law, the Defence Forces Headquarters will function under the command and authority of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and will be responsible for matters relating to national security, defence and the armed forces.

The Defence Forces Headquarters will also serve as the principal military adviser to the prime minister on national security, defence and matters concerning the armed forces.

The Act gives the CDF operational command and control of the armed forces. In exercising these powers, the CDF will be accountable to the federal government.

The CDF will exercise powers considered necessary for greater integration, operational coordination, joint functioning and supervision of matters relating to the armed forces.

The law also sets out broad powers of the CDF in relation to military personnel. Under the relevant laws, the CDF may retire, release or dismiss a person from service, except those appointed under Article 243 of the Constitution.

The CDF may also accept or reject a resignation or retain a person in service in accordance with the relevant laws.

The Act further empowers the CDF to reduce the retirement age or prescribed period of service of a person, subject to the applicable legal provisions.

In addition, the CDF may exercise any other powers and perform any other functions assigned by the federal government.

The federal government will formulate rules and regulations to give effect to the provisions of the Act, while the CDF may issue directions and orders to ensure their implementation.

The law also provides a mechanism for dealing with difficulties or inconsistencies that may arise during its implementation. Where difficulties occur in giving effect to the Act, or where its provisions are found to be inconsistent with another law currently in force, the president may issue an order to remove the difficulty.

The legislation, therefore, provides statutory backing to the new defence command structure and formally sets out the role, authority and responsibilities of the Chief of Defence Forces and the Defence Forces Headquarters.

Earlier in the day, the federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, had approved the draft Defence Forces Act 2026 and amendments to the National Command Authority Act 2010.

The bills were subsequently brought before the National Assembly during its ongoing session.

The Defence Forces Act seeks to provide a legal framework for administrative matters relating to the office of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and the Chief of Defence Forces Headquarters.

The legislation follows changes made under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which restructured the country’s higher defence command system.

The 27th Amendment abolished the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and created the post of Chief of Defence Forces, a position held concurrently by the Chief of Army Staff. Field Marshal Asim Munir became the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces under the new arrangement.

The constitutional changes also created the position of Commander of the National Strategic Command, a four-star post responsible for the operational integration of Pakistan’s strategic forces.

Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promoted Lt Gen Syed Aamer Raza to four-star rank and appointed him as the country’s first Commander of the National Strategic Command.

The appointment necessitated changes to the National Command Authority Act, 2010, which continued to reflect the military command structure that existed before the 27th Amendment.

Law minister defends legislation

Speaking during the debate, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar described the legislation as technical in nature and said the government was carrying out the legislation after taking parliamentary leaders into confidence.

He said the office of the Chief of Defence Forces had already been created and the legislation was intended to clearly define its powers.

Tarar said the amendments would remove ambiguities regarding the appointments of the Chief of Defence Forces and the chiefs of the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy.

The law minister also referred to the controversy surrounding the possible transfer of PTI founder Imran Khan to a hospital, saying there was no ambiguity in the relevant legal provisions.

He questioned how Article 125 of the Constitution should be interpreted when a person in prison was required to be moved out of jail on medical grounds.

“Whenever someone has to be sent out of prison, a medical board will be constituted,” Tarar said, explaining that the law provided a mechanism for dealing with such cases.

He said the first option would be a government hospital and questioned whether the law should allow a prisoner to be shifted to another hospital or sent outside the government system.

“There is no ambiguity in this matter,” Tarar said, adding that there was nothing negative in the provision.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the opposition had not been taken into confidence over the legislation.

However, he said he supported the legislation passed by the National Assembly.

Bilawal also criticised the government’s handling of Imran Khan’s possible transfer to a hospital, saying the government could have played a better role in the matter.

He said the government initially accepted the decision regarding the former prime minister’s medical treatment but later decided to challenge it in court.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai also objected to the manner in which the bills were brought before the House.

“We are members of this Parliament,” Achakzai said, adding that the opposition wanted legislation to be carried out but needed sufficient time to examine the bills.

He asked the government to provide copies of the legislation so that lawmakers could read them and give their opinion.

“Keep them for at least two or three days so that they can be debated,” he said.

Achakzai also called for a briefing on Pakistan’s regional and foreign policy situation, particularly developments involving Iran, the United States and Afghanistan.

Referring to US President Donald Trump’s reported warning against countries conducting economic dealings with Iran, he said Pakistan should be briefed on what was happening in the region.

Achakzai also criticised the government’s handling of Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement with Afghanistan.

He said that opposition lawmakers had recently visited the Afghan embassy, where ambassadors from several countries were present.

“We went to the Afghan embassy the other day. Ambassadors of all countries were sitting there,” he said.

He claimed that while other countries were represented by senior diplomatic officials, Pakistan had sent a desk officer to the Afghan embassy.

“This was embarrassing for us,” Achakzai said, calling for greater seriousness in Pakistan’s engagement with Afghanistan.

He also criticised what he described as excessive focus on Imran Khan, saying the former prime minister had been turned into an unnecessarily major issue.

“Even the worst criminal has the right to have his health taken care of,” he said, arguing that the government should focus on broader national interests.

Achakzai urged the government and opposition to sit together and find solutions to the country’s problems.

“Whatever legislation you want to bring, bring it, but at least take us into confidence,” he said.

“Let us sit together so that we can put the country right.”

The legislation comes as the government moves to bring existing laws into conformity with the new constitutional structure following the sweeping changes made through the 27th Amendment.

Speaker suspends proceedings

At the outset of the proceedings, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed strong displeasure over the absence of officials from the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination during Question Hour and suspended proceedings for 15 minutes after a question raised by a lawmaker remained unanswered.

The speaker directed that the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination secretary, joint secretary and deputy secretary be summoned to the House and ordered them to remain present until the conclusion of Question Hour.

“Bring all of them here and make them sit here. They will remain here until Question Hour is over,” Sadiq directed.

The speaker was reacting to the non-receipt of a reply to a question raised by MNA Chaudhry Ilyas. “Why has this question not been answered? Who is responsible?” he asked.

Addressing Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary, Sadiq said that the parliamentary minister should ensure that questions listed for the House were properly attended to.

“You are the Parliamentary Affairs Minister. You should look after Question Hour,” the speaker told him.

Sadiq also warned that if the officials concerned failed to attend the National Assembly in future, a privilege motion should be moved against the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and the relevant officer.

The speaker’s intervention came as the absence of officials and ministers disrupted the proceedings.

Sadiq subsequently suspended the proceedings for 15 minutes to allow the relevant officials to reach the House.

Financial assistance to families of Pakistanis who die abroad

During Question Hour, the speaker asked how assistance was provided to the families of Pakistanis who died abroad.

Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Muhammad Awn Chaudhry said that financial assistance was provided to the families of deceased Pakistanis.

He told the House that 3,498 families of Pakistanis who died abroad had so far been provided financial assistance amounting to Rs1.3 billion.

Awn Chaudhry, who is a member of the ruling coalition, said that financial assistance was also provided to Pakistanis injured in accidents abroad.

Shehryar Afridi raises concerns over CDA housing schemes

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Shehryar Afridi raised concerns over the functioning of housing societies under the Capital Development Authority (CDA), particularly their impact on overseas Pakistanis.

Afridi said that there was no proper mechanism for dealing with CDA housing societies and said that overseas Pakistanis had suffered because of the system.

“Overseas Pakistanis have been ruined because of the CDA,” Afridi said, while calling for greater protection for people investing in housing schemes.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said that policies for dealing with overseas Pakistanis had been improved.

He said that the CDA had considerably tightened its scrutiny mechanism and that practices such as selling the same plot to two different people had been eliminated.

Chaudhary said that the improvements in the CDA’s system had helped address such problems, while further steps were being taken to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.

Afridi insisted that the CDA should serve as a model institution. He also pointed out that some housing societies were operating without no-objection certificates (NOCs) and alleged that overseas Pakistanis had been defrauded.

Chaudhary acknowledged that some mafias were involved in fraudulent practices and said additional measures were being taken to provide greater relief to the public.

EOBI pensions come under discussion

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Aliya Kamran raised the issue of pensions being paid by the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI).

She questioned why EOBI pensions were not being increased.

In response, Awn Chaudhry said that the government had increased pensions and was taking steps to provide whatever improvements were possible for workers.

He said a separate fund was available to provide assistance to workers who suffered accidents.

Pakistan People’s Party lawmaker Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro also participated in the discussion on issues concerning workers and social protection.

PIA flights, Hajj pilgrims’ difficulties discussed

The performance of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) during the Hajj operation also came under discussion.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-P) lawmaker Naeema Kishwar Khan said the largest number of complaints received this time related to PIA.

She urged the government to include other airlines and flights in the Hajj operation so that pilgrims did not have to face similar difficulties.

PPP lawmaker Shagufta Jumani also criticised the handling of flights and said PIA sometimes changed flight schedules at its own discretion, leaving confirmed passengers waiting at airports.

She said some pilgrims had been forced to wait for as long as 48 hours at airports.

“A Pakistani pilgrim is left to suffer like an abandoned person,” she said, highlighting the difficulties faced by passengers.

Parliamentary Secretary Raja Usama Ashfaq Sarwar said that around 50,000 pilgrims had been transported under the Hajj operation, although 3,000 to 4,000 pilgrims had faced difficulties.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said that the government had made efforts to ensure that flights were not delayed.

Yousaf said that the ministry had tried to ensure that no flight faced unnecessary delays, while also explaining that the Hajj operation was primarily handled through the relevant Hajj arrangements.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested that the load should be distributed among other flights to reduce pressure on the system.

PPP lawmaker Shagufta Jumani further complained that confirmed passengers were sometimes left waiting after changes to flight schedules.

Poor facilities at Karachi airport highlighted

PPP lawmaker Mir Munawar Ali Talpur drew attention to the condition of facilities at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.

He complained about the poor condition of bathrooms and said a bathtub had been installed in a bathroom at Karachi airport, while the water there was also dirty.

The issue was raised during a broader discussion on the airport’s infrastructure and facilities.

Data on deported Pakistanis sought

Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Pakistan (MWMP) lawmaker Hamid Hussain raised a question about Pakistanis deported from Gulf countries.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhary explained that the figures available with the government sometimes differed from figures cited by lawmakers because government records were based on Pakistanis arrested and deported and subsequently handed over to Pakistani authorities.

He said the government maintained records of those who were handed over to Pakistan after deportation.

Chaudhary said the laws of the relevant countries required authorities to prepare travel documents for arrested individuals and contact the Pakistani embassy concerned before deportation.

The speaker directed Tariq Fazal to arrange a meeting between Hamid Hussain and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary to discuss the issue further.

Responding to another question, Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said work on the Jinnah Medical Complex had already begun.

He said no sector had been developed on land belonging to any university and added that the government planned to establish an education city.

Karachi airport infrastructure under spotlight

Later, MQM-P lawmaker Syed Amin-ul-Haque, along with Javed Hanif and Syed Waseem Hussain, moved a calling attention notice concerning the infrastructure and condition of Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.

Amin-ul-Haque said that the condition of Karachi airport was deteriorating with each passing day and particularly criticised the state of its washrooms.

He asked the government to explain what plan it had to improve the airport’s infrastructure and facilities.

Parliamentary Secretary Raja Usama Ashfaq Sarwar said upgradation work was under way at different parts of the airport.

He said a new runway had been constructed at Karachi airport and that the lighting system for night-time landings had also been improved.

Sarwar added that work on a new control tower was also being initiated.