Explanation:
For All Competitive Exams & Interviews
➡ Year Passed: 2003
➡ Enacted: 29 December 2003 (Seventeenth Constitutional Amendment).
➡ Context:
- Brought during President Pervez Musharraf’s era to give constitutional cover to parts of the Legal Framework Order (LFO) 2002.
- Followed the abrogation of the 1997 changes and the post-1999 military takeover context.
➡ Key Features You Should Remember:
- Revived presidential power to dissolve the National Assembly under Article 58(2)(b) (removed earlier by the 13th Amendment in 1997).
- Made corresponding changes for provinces (governor’s power re assembly dissolution under Article 112(2)(b)).
- Validated many LFO-introduced changes (e.g., adjustments to seats/tenures and other structural tweaks) by incorporating them into the Constitution.
- Re-balanced powers among President, Prime Minister, and Parliament, though still leaving the President stronger than under the 1973 original scheme.
➡ Aftermath / Later Development (Important for MCQs):
- The 18th Amendment (2010) later rolled back these presidential powers again, removing Article 58(2)(b) and restoring a more parliamentary balance of power.
➡ The 17th Amendment was passed on 29 December 2003; it validated key parts of the LFO 2002 and restored the President’s power to dissolve the National Assembly (58(2)(b)), later reversed by the 18th Amendment in 2010.