India, Sept. 5 -- Pakistan's parliament has passed legislation spelling out, for the first time in statute, the powers of the country's most senior military office, cementing a restructuring of the armed forces' command chain that began with a constitutional amendment last November.

The National Assembly approved the Defence Forces of Pakistan Act, 2026, along with an amendment to the National Command Authority Act, 2010, on 20 August, giving legal shape to the newly created office of Chief of Defence Forces, or CDF, currently held by Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir, who also remains the Pakistan Army Chief, according to emerging reports.

Chief of Defence Forces of Pakistan: What powers does the new office hold?

The legislation abo...