The 27th Amendment

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, was created after a lengthy debate in the National Assembly. Like most written constitutions, it includes a method for making amendments so that this living document can adapt to the country's changing needs with changing times. This amendment process is given in Part XI of the Constitution, which contains only two Articles — 238 and 239. The word “amend” means to improve or refine the Constitution without damaging its basic principles or original spirit. The framers understood that a Constitution must stay alive — able to change when needed, while protecting its core values.

Since 1973, the Constitution of Pakistan has been amended twenty-seven times. Most amendments were made either by military rulers or by civilian governments acting in an authoritarian manner. Some amendments drastically changed the balance of power, giving more authority to the President and reducing the role of the Parliament. These changes, nonetheless, weakened democracy.

After General Musharraf's military regime, during which the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was used against the two major political parties, PML-N and PPP, PPP came into power after Benazir Bhutto's assassination. Musharraf had already changed the Constitution through the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and the 17th Constitutional Amendment.