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The Lahore chapter of the Aurat March has shared a scathing statement about the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was passed in the Senate on Monday, calling it an “affront to the spirit of the Constitution”.

In a statement released the same day, the collective categorically rejected the amendment, saying it “defangs the judiciary and undermines the very spirit of the 1973 Constitution”.

The bill, tabled by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, proposes the formation of a Federal Constitutional Court, changes in the process for appointing high court judges, adjustments to the threshold for provincial cabinets, and a restructuring of the military’s top leadership.

Commenting on both the haste and the contents of the amendment, the Aurat March Lahore said “the manner in which the amendment is being passed, as well as its content, assails every aspect of accountability and justice and consolidates the powers of the military at an unprecedented level”.

For context, the18th Amendment was passed after a year of consultations, while the 26th Amendment was debated for more than a month. In comparison, the 27th Amendment appeared to have moved from draft to agreement in under a week — a timeline that has sparked widespread criticism. Although Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik denied on a Geo TV talkshow that the decision was rushed, he acknowledged the quick progression while insisting there was “no urgency” in convening the cabinet meeting — one that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended virtually from Baku, Azerbaijan.

“Much like the 26th Constitutional Amendment passed in the dead of night, the 27th Amendment was drafted without any consultation,” the Aurat March Lahore statement read.

It accused the amendment of “chang[ing] the character of the Constitution,” stripping away the “few safeguards” that allowed citizens to hold those in power accountable.

Among its far-reaching proposals, the amendment rewrites Article 243 of the Constitution — which governs the relationship between the prime minister (as head of the federal government) and the president (as head of state) in relation to the control and command of the armed forces. The revision creates the new post of Chief of Defence Forces while abolishing the long-standing office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The Aurat March Lahore argued that this change “grants life-long constitutional protection to 5-star rank officers as well as the president, placing them above the law and any form of accountability”. The statement continued, “Those in power should be held to the highest levels of scrutiny — not coddled with absolute immunity as a cover for their corruption and crimes.”

It questioned whether the state is now only interested in protecting the rights of “the armed forces,” at the cost of “our collective rights”.

Reminding the PPP and PML-N of the times they themselves were at the receiving end of unchecked military power, the Aurat March Lahore called the move a “cowardly capitulation” — one that, it said, will remain a permanent stain on their legacy.