Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has warned that any change to Article 243 that undermines democracy would be unacceptable.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said: “No draft of the proposed 27th Amendment has been made public so far, so we cannot comment on it at this stage.”
Maulana Fazl added that the government had withdrawn 35 clauses during the 26th Constitutional Amendment, and including any of these in the 27th Amendment would amount to disrespecting the Constitution.
He emphasised that the 18th Amendment had strengthened provincial powers, and any attempt to reduce them would face strong opposition. “JUI-F advocates for granting provinces greater authority, not diminishing their rights. Provincial powers can be expanded, but reduction is unacceptable,” he stated.
Article 243 of the Constitution vests the supreme command of the armed forces in the President of Pakistan.
It also states that the federal government will have control and command of the armed forces.
On other issues, Fazl criticised the government for failing to make progress on interest-free financial reforms and for not registering religious schools properly. “The government is attempting to force religious schools under the Ministry of Education, which is unacceptable,” he noted.
He also called for a collective approach to address national challenges, saying, “I consider the country’s children as my own. Nothing is being handled properly, and fixing this requires collective thinking.”
Maulana Fazl concluded by stressing the need for a natural governance system. “During the 26th Amendment, all parliamentary parties were in mutual contact. Society cannot accept an unnatural system; natural governance must prevail,” he said, reiterating JUI-F’s position on constitutional safeguards and provincial rights.
His remarks come as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) pushes to rally support for the 27th Constitutional Amendment, a year after the passage of the 26th Amendment.
The ruling party, in addition to tweaking Article 243, has also proposed establishing a Constitutional Court and amending the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
The PML-N-led federal government is reportedly mulling introducing a new designation named "Commander of Defence Forces" (CDF) under the proposed amendment to Article 243.
Government sources said that the new title was aimed at ensuring greater coordination and unified command among the three armed services, The News reported.
While the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — a key ally of the PML-N — has voiced support for a tweak to Article 243, it has rejected proposed changes to the NFC award formula.