Pakistan Army Chief Gets More Powers, Immunity for Life
A man carries a portrait of Asim Munir during a rally in Islamabad in May.
Photographer: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan has granted lifelong immunity to Field Marshal Asim Munir, in a move that would further entrench the military’s grip on power in the nuclear-armed nation.
The upper house of parliament approved the constitutional amendment bill on Thursday expanding Munir’s control over the military branches. It also gave the prime minister authority to appoint or remove the judges of the top court and establishes a new Federal Constitutional Court, steps seen as significantly curtailing the powers of the judiciary.