• President signs bills on PM Shehbaz’s advice.
• All three bills passed by parliament this week.
• COAS will concurrently serve as CDF.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday signed the Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy Amendment Bills 2025 into law following their approval by parliament.

According to notifications shared by the PPP on the social media platform X, the president gave his assent to the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025.

The bills, presented by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, were passed by both the lower and upper houses of parliament — the National Assembly and the Senate — this week.

What are the key changes?

Under the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, the COAS will concurrently serve as Chief of the Defence Forces for five years. Field Marshal Munir’s tenure will restart from the date the new notification is issued.

Article 243 provisions applicable to a Field Marshal will also apply to a General promoted to the rank. The federal government may authorise the Vice Chief of Army Staff or Deputy Chief of Army Staff to exercise powers of the COAS, under written orders issued on the CDF’s recommendation.

The legislation further clarifies that once the first notification for the dual office is issued, the incumbent COAS’ tenure will be deemed to have recommenced from the date of that notification.

The federal government will determine the duties and responsibilities of the CDF, including multi-domain integration, restructuring and ensuring jointness across the armed forces.

A major structural change approved in the bill is the abolition of the post of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), to be replaced by the Commander of the National Strategic Command. The prime minister may appoint the commander from among serving Pakistan Army generals for a three-year term, on the COAS/CDF’s recommendation.

The terms and conditions of the appointment will be set by the prime minister, who may also grant a three-year extension in the national security interest. The bill states that any appointment, reappointment or extension for the Commander shall not be challenged before any court.

The Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, 2025, removes sections 10D, 10E and 10F of the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, which previously dealt with the appointment of the PAF chief as CJCSC, his tenure, extension and retirement. 

All references to the CJCSC have been omitted across the Act. Similarly, the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, deletes sections 14D, 14E and 14F concerning the appointment and tenure of the Naval Chief as CJCSC, also removing the term from other provisions of the law.

King Charles has finally agreed to cede power to his elder son and heir to throne Prince William amid poor health concerns.

This has been claimed by royal insiders while speaking to the Radar Online.

The insider said, “Prince William sees his dad as kind of weak and incapable of doing things the way he would do it to protect the monarchy.”

The royal confidant continued, “While King Charles was babying his brother, giving him the benefit of the doubt, William was telling him to pump the brakes and kick him out.

“Prince William is no-nonsense. He didn’t like the way his father was ruling.”

The sources went on saying Queen Camilla is “fuming” over how William and his wife, Kate Middleton pushed her aside, undermined Charles, who celebrated his 77th birthday on November 14, and “bulldozed their way” into taking over the response to the fallout from former Duke of York Andrew’s alleged connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

The insider said, “Camilla is all about the power trip. She knows that her husband had been waiting to be king for a very long time, and quite frankly, she had also been waiting to be queen.

“Camilla is just trying to hold on to the throne for as long as possible and taking it away is devastating her.”

• Dealers say some companies delivering small amounts of diesel.
• Fuel pumps running dry and unable to serve customers: dealers
• Dealers also complain of cancellation of orders after placement. 

Fuel traders warn that a manufactured shortage of high-speed diesel is affecting petrol pumps nationwide, calling on the government to act before conditions deteriorate, The News reported on Saturday. 

In a letter to the chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the Petrol Pump Dealers Association said oil marketing companies (OMCs) have been limiting diesel supplies for the past week. 

According to the dealers, some companies are delivering very small amounts, while others are not supplying fuel at all. Because of this, many pumps are running dry and are unable to serve customers. 

Dealers say they place orders that later get cancelled, and fuel trucks are left waiting for hours without being loaded. They believe the shortage is not natural but artificial, created by companies ahead of a possible increase in fuel prices expected later this month. 

The association said the supply cuts are so severe that stations are “hardly able to meet the public’s needs”. They have asked Ogra to direct OMCs to provide diesel based on each pump’s regular sales so that stations can operate normally again.

The letter, sent on November 14 by the association’s vice chairman, was also shared with senior officials, including the petroleum minister, the petroleum secretary, the director general oil, and the secretary of the Oil Companies Advisory Council.

It may be noted that a fuel price update is expected at midnight today. 

The government jacked up the fuel prices for the outgoing fortnight, effective from November 1, following recommendations from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the relevant ministries.

The petrol price was increased by Rs2.43 per litre and set at Rs265.45 per litre till tonight, while the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was also increased by Rs3.02 to Rs278.44 per litre, the Finance Division said in a notification based on the authority’s last review.