Pakistan on Sunday dismissed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s concerns about the 27th constitutional amendment, calling them “baseless and unjustified fears”. In a statement issued in Geneva on Friday, the human rights chief said the latest constitutional amendment, like the 26th amendment last year, was passed without broad consultation and debate with the legal community and the wider civil society, PTI reported. He added that the “hastily adopted” amendments undermined judicial independence and raised concerns about military accountability. The Foreign Office said in a press release that “like all parliamentary democracies, all legislation as well as any amendment to the constitution remains the exclusive domain of the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan”. “While Pakistan attaches due importance to the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is unfortunate that Pakistan’s views and ground realities were not reflected in the statement issued,” the statement said. It said Pakistan remains “fully committed to the protection, promotion and maintenance of human rights, human dignity, basic freedoms and the rule of law as enshrined in the constitution”. “We call on the High Commissioner to respect the sovereign decisions of Pakistan’s parliament and avoid comments that reflect political bias and misinformation,” it said. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s joint parliamentary committee of the Senate and National Assembly approved the 27th constitutional amendment bill, with the opposition claiming the government had sounded “the death knell for the Supreme Court”. The amendment seeks to amend Article 243 by abolishing the position of ‘Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee’ and creating a new post of ‘Chief of the Army’. It also proposes the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court and aims to limit the powers of the Supreme Court. Earlier on November 22, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) held coordinated protests across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Karachi to oppose the 27th Constitutional Amendment. Protesters waved black flags and chanted “Repeal the 27th Amendment” and “long live the Constitution.” MNA Khan claimed the amendment was designed “to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf from the elections.” Human rights body flags deeper threats to democracy Earlier in November, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), at the end of its 39th annual general meeting, raised an urgent alarm over what it described as rapidly increasing threats to constitutional democracy, civil liberties and the safety of vulnerable communities across the country, ANI reported. In a detailed statement issued by HRCP Chairman Asad Iqbal Butt, the Commission warned that the cumulative impact of recent political and security decisions is eroding fundamental rights and weakening public confidence in state institutions. HRCP has expressed serious concern over the passage of the 27th Constitutional Amendment, saying the move threatens judicial independence by expanding executive control over matters that should remain free from interference. The Commission said the amendment seriously undermines the system of checks and balances, especially at a time when democratic institutions are already under pressure. (With input from agencies)