Pakistan’s Parliament on Thursday approved a controversial constitutional amendment granting lifetime immunity from prosecution to the country’s president and the current army chief — a move the opposition denounced as a “fatal blow to democracy.”

The 27th Constitutional Amendment also expands the powers of the army chief while limiting the role and independence of the Supreme Court, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The decision comes amid growing political tensions, with opposition parties accusing the military establishment of consolidating power at the expense of civilian institutions.