Last Updated on August 23, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJHAN REPORT
ISLAMABAD (Aug 20, 2026): The Upper and Lower Houses of the parliament on Thursday passed two acts that ensure a major restructuring of Pakistan’s military command and nuclear control hierarchy.
The Defence Forces Act 2026 and the National Command Authority (Amendment) Act 2026, passed within a few hours by majority vote in both the National Assembly and the Senate, officially operationalize changes introduced under the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
The acts not only expand the authority of the Army Chief and Field Marshal Asim Munir, but also reset his service tenure clock by tying it to the notification that elevated him to the rank of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif shakes hands with parliamentarians at the session of the National Assembly, in Islamabad.—(Photo Source: Government of Pakistan)
Though there was a divide in the vocal narrative, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was fully supported by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to get the bills approved that overhauled military and nuclear command structures.
Under the proposed amendment, it is suggested to change the name of the Act to the National Command Authority Amendment Act 2026. It is proposed to fix the tenure of the Chairman of the National Command Authority to five years, with room for an extension in the term. Amending Section 2 of the Act, it is proposed to replace “Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee” with “Chief of Defence Forces”.
An amendment to Section 3 is also proposed, under which changes will be made to the structure and the positions of the members of the National Command Authority, while the proposal to make the Chief of Defence Forces a member of the National Command Authority is also included.
A joint headquarters for the defence forces will be established under the Defence Forces Amendment Bill. The head of the defence headquarters will be the Chief of Defence Forces. The authority to dismiss and punish officers and personnel of security agencies will rest with the Chief of Defence Forces.
Both the amendment bills were presented in the Senate by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif under a supplementary agenda, prompting objections from the opposition, who complained they had not yet been provided with copies of the bills.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that the National Command Authority Amendment Bill 2026 and the Defence Forces of Pakistan Amendment Bill 2026 were presented in light of the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas objected to the procedure for passing the bills, stating that they had still not received the copies.
The Opposition Leader also demanded that the government implement the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the shifting of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhary stated that they would speak to the Punjab government and prison administration regarding Dr. Yasmin Rashid’s health. However, members from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) boycotted the Senate session in protest and walked out of the house.
THE CRITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS LEGISLATION
• The legislation establishes a new, centralized Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ) to legally consolidate operational command over the Army, Navy, and Air Force under a singular authority.
• The office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) has been dissolved, and unified CDF command has been established.
• The CDF formally becomes the Prime Minister’s principal military adviser on national security.
• The amendments to the National Command Authority (NCA) Act update the structure managing Pakistan’s strategic and nuclear assets.
Interestingly, both laws have been applied retrospectively—from the year 2025. This provides immediate, retroactive legal cover to commands and restructuring actions executed over the past several months.
While PPP lawmakers voted in favor of the bills, party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari blasted the PML-N government on the floor of the National Assembly for keeping its own allies in the dark and unnecessarily making the otherwise non-controversial subject into a controversial spectacle.
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