Shehbaz to choose next army head in November
Shehbaz will decide who would be the new army chief after consulting with party leader Nawaz Sharif, according to Khurram Dastagir.
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) will be chosen by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following consultation with party leader Nawaz Sharif, according to Energy Minister Khurram Dastagir on Saturday.
Without addressing PTI Chairman Imran Khan by name, the energy minister stated during a press conference in Gujranwala that the prime minister will make the final choice no matter how many times Khan talks with the army chief.
However, according to Minister of Defence Khawaja Asif, no formal steps have been taken to extend the tenure of the army chief, and no proposals have been taken into consideration in this regard.
At a news conference held in Islamabad, he stated these opinions.
The leader of the PTI earlier this week urged extending General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s (COAS) term until the following elections.
The former prime minister had earlier advocated delaying the appointment of an army chief until after the election so that the new government could choose the new military commander. He made this suggestion in an interview with a private TV channel the day before.
Asif stated that any current prime minister in November would choose the nominee for the position of the next army chief, in accordance with the Constitution. “Shehbaz Sharif will do it this time,” he said. “Nawaz Sharif did the process four times.” Asif continued, “Imran Khan played a very bad role in this aspect because this subject had never gained public traction.
According to the defence minister, this is a required constitutional procedure that needs to be completed on schedule. The state and its Constitution are the objects of the army chief’s loyalty. It shouldn’t be questioned, he said.
No one has any doubts about the army chief’s allegiance to the Constitution and the institutions, the speaker said, “He merely wants to make the army chief’s appointment problematic.” “Politics is different, but institutions shouldn’t be under question,”
Imran’s recent words, according to Asif, have been detrimental to the nation’s security, and he should be held accountable for them. “He (Imran) won’t think twice about undermining Pakistan for his own gain.”
He claimed that Khan was a national criminal for sabotaging relief efforts and for preventing international organisations from stopping aid to Pakistan. He also claimed that there were ongoing attacks on the national security and status of the country.
The premier will call a meeting of the National Security Committee after his return, according to the defence minister, during which “problems connected to Khan’s words jeopardising national security” will be covered.
