India, Nov. 12 -- A proposed constitutional amendment in Pakistan, ostensibly aimed at modernising the military by creating the post of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), is widely being seen as further consolidation of the pre-eminent position of the army in deciding foreign and security policy. The amendment, moved less than six months after army chief Asim Munir engineered his elevation to the rank of field marshal after a conflict with India, has cleared the upper house of Pakistan's Parliament. Once it secures a two-thirds majority in the lower house , the CDF, who will always be the army chief, will have overarching control of all three services. Equally significant is the move to create the post of commander of the National Strategic Command, who will always be from the army, to oversee the nuclear arsenal. This will negate the National Command Authority that provides civilian oversight of nuclear assets. Since the era of Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistan army has perfected the art of controlling increasingly servile civilian governments without resorting to the coups of the past, since it obviates the need to deal with international opprobrium. The civilian-military equation in Pakistan never recovered from the damage done during the era of Zia-ul-Haq. The constitutional amendment will only strengthen the generals who have acted for decades with impunity. Unlike some of his predecessors who favoured reconciliation or detente with India, Munir has left little doubt about his anti-India stance. Munir has the added advantage of having inveigled US President Donald Trump into believing he is the real power in Pakistan and stitching together a mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia. An emboldened Pakistan army chief operating with virtually no fetters only increases the risks for India....