Amendments to the Constitution of 1973

The 1973 Constitution of Pakistan has been amended from 1973 to 1998 by different regimes. During this period, the number of amendments was Fifteen.

The First Amendment to the 1973 Constitution was made in the year 1974. The Second Amendment to the 1973 Constitution was made in September 1974; through this amendment, the Qadianis became a minority.

The Third Amendment concerned Article 7. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of 1973, which added six seats to the National Assembly for minorities, was passed in the year 1975.

The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of 1973 laid down that no person could become a governor of the province of his domicile; it was passed in the year 1976.

The Seventh Amendment empowered the Prime Minister to advise the President to order a referendum on an important national issue; this amendment was passed in the year 1977.

The draft bill to the Eighth Amendment to the 1973 Constitution was passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan on 14th November 1985. The Article which allowed the President under the Eighth Amendment to dissolve the National Assembly was Article 58(2)(B).

The number of members of the Senate was increased from 63 to 87 in 1985, through the Eighth Amendment. The Eighth Amendment also increased the period allowed to the President for the ratification of bills from 7 days to 30 days. Additionally, the Eighth Amendment (Article 60) increased the tenure of the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate from 2 years to 3 years.

The Ninth Amendment to the Constitution of 1973, which was passed in 1985, sought to make Quran and Sunnah the supreme law in Pakistan.

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of 1973 reduced the session of the Senate from 160 days to 130 days.

Anti-Terrorism Courts were established through the Twelfth Amendment.

The Parliament passed the Thirteenth Amendment on April 1, 1997.

The new system of District Government was introduced by the Musharraf regime. In connection with this, elections to the Union Councils were completed from December 2000 to May 2001. Elections to the District Councils were held in July 2001. Under the new system of District Government, the post of Deputy Commissioner was renamed as District Coordinator Officer.

The new system of District Government consists of three tiers: the Union Council, the Tehsil Council, and the District Government. The Union Council consists of 26 members, and out of these, 6 seats are reserved for women. The Tehsil Council comprises 34 members, out of which 5 seats are reserved for women. Each Tehsil Council works through committees whose total number is Nine. Under the new system of District Government, the head of the district government is called the District Nazim.

Under the 18th Amendment, the federal government dissolved five ministries on 5th December 2010, and 17 federal ministries were devolved to provinces by the federal government on 28th June 2011. Amendments to the Frontier Crimes Regulation and the extension of the Political Parties Order 2002 to tribal areas were identified with the date 12th August 2011.

The National Assembly of Pakistan passed the 19th Amendment Bill to the Constitution on 22nd December 2010. The 19th Amendment increased the strength of the Judicial Commission from seven to Nine.

The Senate passed the 20th Amendment Bill to the Constitution by 74 to 2 votes on 20th February 2012. The 20th Amendment envisages an independent and powerful Election Commission and the setting up of a neutral caretaker regime to hold general elections.

The National Assembly approved the 21st Constitutional Amendment in January 2015. This amendment is aimed at the procedure for the appointment and other related prerequisites for the Chief Election Commissioner, and this was identified with the date 22nd (of the relevant month).

President Mamnoon Hussain gave his approval to the revival of military courts for another 2 years, with effect from January 7, 2017.

The National Assembly passed the 25th Constitutional Amendment, formally known as the FATA-KP Merger Bill, in May 2018.

The 26th Constitutional Amendment was passed in October 2024. This amendment made significant institutional changes in the structure and functioning of Pakistan's judicial system, particularly with respect to the Supreme Court and High Courts. Prior to the 26th Amendment, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court was appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan by convention.

The draft of the 26th Constitution Amendment Bill 2024 contains 22 clauses. The amendment to Article 175-A of the Constitution reconstitutes the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.