Amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan


This is a list of all the amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan.
#AmendmentsProposal dateEnactment dateFull text
1stRedefined the boundaries of Pakistan and removed references to East Pakistan.4 May 1974
2ndDefined a Muslim and declared the status of Ahmadis as minority and 'non-Muslim'.17 September 1974
3rdExtended the period of preventive detention from one month to three months18 February 1975
4thDecreed additional seats for minorities, it also deprived courts of the power to grant bail to any person detained under any preventive detention.21 November 1975
5thWidened the scope of restriction on the High Courts.5 September 1976
6thProvided that Chief Justice of Supreme Court will be retired at the age of 65 and High Court judges at age 62.22 December 1976
7thEnables the prime minister to obtain a vote of confidence of the people of Pakistan.16 May 1977
8thChanged Pakistan's government from a Parliamentary system to a Semi-presidential system by giving the President a number of additional powers.11 November 1985
9thBill to impose Shariah law as the supreme law of land. The bill was passed by Senate but could never be passed by National Assembly owing to the latter's dissolution.1985Not passed
10thFixed the interval period between sessions of the National Assembly to not exceed 130 days.25 March 1987
11thRevision of the reserved seats for women in the National and the provincial assemblies. The bill was withdrawn in 1992.1989Not passed
12thCreated Speedy Trial Court for 3 years.1991
13thStripped the President of Pakistan of his reserve power to dissolve the National Assembly of Pakistan, and thereby triggering new elections and dismissing the Prime Minister.1997
14thAllowed members of parliament to be dismissed if they defect.3 July 1997
15thBill to impose Shariah law as supreme law of land. Was never passed.1998Not passed
16thIncreased the term appointed for quota system as per 1973 Constitution from 20 to 40 years.1999
17thMade changes dealing with the office of the President and the reversal of the effects of the Thirteenth Amendment.2003
18thRemoved the power of President of Pakistan to dissolve the Parliament unilaterally. Gave more authority to the provinces. Province of North-West Frontier Province was renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa8 April 2010
19thProvided for the appointment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and made amendments in the number of members of the parliamentary committee for the appointment of Chief Electoral Officers at Election Commission of Pakistan.22 December 2010
20thFor Free and Fair Elections.14 February 2012
21stIn the aftermath of APS Peshawar Attack, Military Courts were established for speedy trials of terrorists and their sponsors.7 January 2015
22ndECP powers deputed to Chief Election Commissioner8 June 2016
23rdThe 23rd Amendment was passed to re-establish the military courts for further two years till 6 January 2019. In 2015, National Assembly passed the 21st Amendment and created the military courts for the period of 2 years. The period of two years was expired on 6 January 2017 hence this 23rd Amendment was passed to re-establish the military courts for further two years till 6 January 2019. At the end of this period all the amendments will be expired/removed automatically.7 January 2017
24thReallocation of National Assembly seats among federating units and allowing election authorities to update boundaries of constituencies based on provisional results of 2017 Census of Pakistan.22 December 2017
25thMerges Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.31 May 2018
26thIt is a set of constitutional amendments — containing 27 clauses — including the fixture of the chief justice’s term.20 October 202421 October 2024
27thThe amendment addresses a set of issues, i.e., judicial structure, federal-provincial relations, military command arrangements, and top appointments in the armed forces.8 November 202513 November 2025