KARACHI: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday shared that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has completed the consultation process on the appointment of the next Army Chief and announced the successor of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Will be done in a day. or two”.
Sanaullah said that the name of the next army chief will be announced in a couple of days.
Incumbent General Bajwa will hang up his boots on November 29.
Hinting at the finalization of the name for the coveted post, the home minister said, “Just the formal announcement is yet to be made.”
He said that the appointment of Army Chief is the prerogative of the Prime Minister and he will take the final decision soon.
“In my opinion, further delay in the appointment would not be appropriate,” he added.
PPP Supports Army’s Promotion System: Zardari
On the other hand, People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari said that his party strongly believes in the internal promotion system of Pakistan Army.
Zardari’s remarks came after PTI Chairman Imran Khan suggested that the appointment of the Chief of Armed Forces should be similar to that of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The PTI chairman was demanding the appointment of the army chief on the basis of merit.
In a statement, the PPP leader said that all three-star generals are equal and fully capable of leading the army. He further said that the Prime Minister will appoint the new Army Chief as per the law.
The appointment of Army Chief should not be politicized at any cost, the former president said that if the issue is politicized, it will harm the institution.
Appointment of COAS should be Above Politics: Shujaat
Apart from this, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that the appointment of the Army Chief should be above politics.
Talking to journalists on his arrival from Saudi Arabia, he said that the criteria set by the constitution and law should be followed for the appointment of the army chief.
The senior leader advised his colleagues that politicians should not make the appointment controversial with their rhetoric. He urged the politicians to stop commenting on the matter.
The leader of Muslim League-Q said that politics is the name of tolerance but not of confrontation.
