In Pakistan, a nation where power often seems to serve itself above all else, the latest constitutional overhaul has been received with a weary sense of resignation.
Pushed through parliament on November 13 with barely a murmur of opposition, the 27th amendment to the country’s 1973 constitution made two major changes: splitting the Supreme Court into separate appellate and constitutional benches, and upgrading the army chief of staff to overall commander of Pakistan’s armed forces.
Viewed in isolation, both moves have plausible justifications. Pakistan’s higher judiciary has been swamped by cases for decades – a backlog compounded by activist judges who, since the restoration of democracy in 2008, have devoted extraordinary time to politically charged hearings.
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Meanwhile, the government had argued it needed a more integrated command structure to meet the demands of modern warfare following a brief but deadly aerial conflict with India in May, replacing the largely ceremonial chairman of the joint chiefs with a hands-on chief of defence forces.
Seen against Pakistan’s longer political history, however, the amendments are more calculated power grabs than practical governance changes.
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