LIST OF AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

OF PAKISTAN
1.
Passed on
Redefined the boundaries of Pakistan and removed references to East May 4, 1974
Pakistan.

2. Defined a Muslim and declared the status of Ahmadis as minority and 'non- Passed on
Muslim'. September 7,
1974

3. Extended the period of preventive detention. Passed on

February 18,
1975

4. Decreed additional seats for minorities, it also deprived courts of the power Passed on
to grant bail to any person detained under any preventive detention. November 21,
1975

5. Widened the scope of restriction on the High Courts. Passed on

September 5,
1976

6. Provided that Chief Justice of Supreme Court will be retired at the age of 65 Passed on
and High Court judges at age 62. December 22,
1976

7. Enables the Prime Minister to obtain a vote of confidence of the people of Passed on
Pakistan. May 16, 1977

8. Changed Pakistan's government from a Parliamentary system to a Semi- Passed on

presidential system by giving the President a number of additional powers. November 11,
1985

9. Bill to impose Shariah law as the supreme law of land. The bill was passed Not Passed
by Senate but could never be passed by National Assembly owing to the
latter's dissolution.

10. Fixed the interval period between sessions of the National Assembly to not Passed on
exceed 130 days. March 29,
1987

11. Revision of the reserved seats for women in the National and the provincial Not Passed
assemblies. The bill was withdrawn in 1992
12. Created Speedy Trial Court for 3 years. Passed in
1991

13. Stripped the President of Pakistan of his reserve power to dissolve Passed in
the National Assembly of Pakistan, and thereby triggering new elections and 1997
dismissing the Prime Minister.

14. Allowed members of parliament to be dismissed if they defect. Passed on

July 3, 1997

15. Bill to impose Shariah law as supreme law of land. Was never passed. Not Passed

16. Increased the term appointed for quota system as per 1973 Constitution Passed in
from 20 to 40 years. 1999

17. Made changes dealing with the office of the President and the reversal of Passed in
the effects of the Thirteenth Amendment. 2003

18. Removed the power of President of Pakistan to dissolve the Parliament Passed on
unilaterally. April 8, 2010

19. Provided for the appointment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Passed on
Pakistan and made amendments in the number of members of the
parliamentary committee for the appointment of Chief Electoral December 22,
2010
Officers at Election Commission of Pakistan.

20. For Free and Fair Elections. Passed on

February 14,
2012

21. For Speedy Trial Military Courts to deal with terrorism. Passed on

January 7,
2015

22. ECP powers deputed to Chief Election Commissioner. Passed on

June 8, 2016

23. The 23rd Amendment was passed to re-establish the military courts for Passed on
further two years till 6th January 2019.[3] In 2015, National Assembly passed January 7,
the 21st Amendment and created the military courts for the period of 2 2017
years. The period of two years was expired on 6th January 2017 hence this
23rd Amendment was passed to re-establish the military courts for further
two years till 6th January 2019. At the end of this period all the amendments
will be expired/removed automatically.
 24. Reallocation of National Assembly seats among federating units and Passed on
allowing election authorities to update boundaries of constituencies based December 22,
on provisional results of 2017 Census of Pakistan. 2017

25. Merges Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Passed on
May 31, 2018

MOST IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS:

8TH AMENDMENT (58-2b):
The Eighth Constitutional Amendment added a clause to the Article 58 giving to the President
the power to dissolve the National Assembly in his discretion where, in his opinion, an appeal to
the electorate was necessary. .

This clause had far reaching implications not only in making the assembly dependent and
subservient to the President, but also drastically changing the parliamentary character of the
Constitution, tilting it towards a presidential one.

After being inducted in the Constitution, this clause was invoked by the President on four
occasions in a short span of nine years between 1988 and 1996. This clause was repealed in the
Thirteenth Constitutional Amendment passed on April 04,1997 (Nawaz Sharif govt). The Eighth
Amendment had given similar power to the governors with respect to the provincial assemblies.

13TH AMENDMENT:
The parliamentary character of the Constitution was restored as a result of the Thirteenth
Amendment (1997) which also accompanied the restoration of the prime ministerial advice as
being binding for the President with respect to the appointment of governors and taking away of
the discretionary powers of the President to appoint the three chiefs of the armed forces.

17TH AMENDMENT:
However, the Seventeenth Amendment (was an amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan
passed in December 2003, after over a year of political wrangling between supporters and
opponents of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf) once again shifted the pendulum to the side
of the President. The President can now once again dissolve the National Assembly at his
discretion.

18TH AMENDMENT:
It was passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on April 8, 2010, removing the power of the
President of Pakistan to dissolve the Parliament unilaterally, turning Pakistan from a semi-
presidential to a parliamentary republic.

Highlights of the 18th Constitutional Amendment:

Amendment to Article 6 seeks to pre-empt military coups in future. Article 58(2b) to be

repealed, substituted with ‘Dissolution of National Assembly’. President may dissolve NA in
case no confidence vote passed against PM. Total strength of cabinet should not exceed 11% of
total membership of parliament.

Governor should be a resident and registered voter of his/her province, he/she would be
appointed by president on prime minister’s advice. Provinces required by law to establish local
government systems, devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority
to elected representatives. PM to be the chairperson of CCI; members to include CMs; 3
members from federal government. Amendment to Article 157 says federal government must
consult provincial government before installing hydroelectric power stations in any province.

PM to forward three names for office of CEC, in consultation with opposition leader in National
Assembly, to a parliamentary committee for confirmation. Committee proposes insertion of
Article 175(a) to deal with appointment of judges to Supreme Court, high courts, Federal Shariah
Court. Committee proposes substitution of Article 243, says federal government ‘shall have
control and command of armed forces, supreme command of armed forces shall [rest with] …
president.

President to appoint Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of
Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff. NWFP will be renamed ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwah’. State will
provide free, compulsory education to children aged between 5 and 16 years.

Amendments to Clause 1 seek substitution of ‘Baluchistan’ with ‘Balochistan’, ‘Sind’ with

‘Sindh’. Insertion of clause sought to bar persons acquiring citizenship of foreign country from
contesting elections to parliament. All elections will be held under constitution, other than those
of PM and CM, to be by secret ballot.

CONCLUSION
The constitutional history of Pakistan reflects the social, economic and political dynamics of the
state, exhibiting the clashes between the vital interests of the main social groups in Pakistan. The
struggle over most constitutional issues (the state language, from of elections, division of powers
between the Federation and the Provinces, etc.) went on for years altogether, often time to an
extreme extent under adverse political exploitation.
The present Constitution of Pakistan is characterized by such fundamental principles as a
parliamentary republican system, federal state structure, and proclamation of democracy,
freedom, equality, tolerance and other bourgeois-democratic freedoms, and the attainment of
social justice as the supreme aim of the state. (Dr. Tahir Jamil presentation) After the huge
turnout of 2018 elections, the society unanimously has taken democratic values of the state in
their hands to make Pakistan as peaceful and tolerant of a society as the global arena today
yearns for. Pakistan has and will continue to stand in the face of extremism, terrorism,
intolerance and corruption, and now Pakistanis show a profound political sense to take
responsibility of the state reputation and the sanctity of her constitution.