The new army chief’s appointment is now making headlines, and important conversations over it are currently underway among various stakeholder groups. The selection of the new army chief gained pace both inside and outside of the country after Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the current army head announced his retirement on November 29. Gen Bajwa is occupied attending farewell events, eliminating any doubt about his future obligations. However, the government has not yet revealed a candidate’s name because it appears to be hesitant about the nomination. The future army chief is another topic being discussed by the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and his older brother, Nawaz Sharif, in a London meeting. Normal circumstances would have made the nomination easy, but Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), has put a lot of pressure on it, making it a tricky situation. Even though he stated that the prime minister has the authority to nominate a new army chief and that he would accept any nomination, the issue still needs to be resolved. The prime minister took a flight to London to present his elder brother with the choices he had been given by some people in light of the rapidly shifting political landscape. After holding office for two consecutive terms, Gen. Bajwa would step down; in the interim, Imran Khan suggested he remain in that position till the following elections. Gen. Bajwa and government representatives, however, have made it very apparent that the new army leader would be chosen by the prime minister. Imran Khan, a former prime minister, believes that the next chief of army staff (COAS) must be selected based on merit. He stated that the authorities had not carried out honourable activities and questioned if they had the right to appoint the army leader only on the basis of merit.
There shouldn’t be a problem with Prime Minister Sharif consulting his older brother and party leader Quaid Nawaz Sharif on governmental and political matters. Consultations and conversations are fairly commonplace in politics. However, it would be a wiser course of action if the prime minister made the new army chief’s name known as soon as possible. This will merely put an end to speculation and rumours that hang over the political horizon.
