Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif started negotiations with his coalition partners on Friday over the crucial nomination of a new army chief, despite Defense Minister Khawaja Asif’s announcement that a candidate will be unveiled by Tuesday or Wednesday.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that the new chief will be selected in a day or two once discussions are finished.
PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari declared that his party supported the army’s promotion system and that the prime minister will pick the chief by the constitution.
According to him, the politicization of the appointment would be detrimental to the institution. He said, “All three-star generals are equal and qualified [to take the job].”
Media reports suggest that Prime Minister Sharif, who is presently under quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, has met with Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the appointment of the army chief.
The paperwork for the new army chief’s appointment will be started on Monday, according to the defence minister.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan said that Nawaz Sharif wants to have a say in who would become the next army chief.
Nawaz seeks to make the army chief into the Punjab police head, but the army head is a professional soldier. He asserted, “I know Nawaz would urge the army commander to get rid of Imran Khan in some way since he is not “accustomed to playing with a neutral umpire.”
As per the established practice, the army submits a list of candidates for the position on November 29 when the current chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa term ends.
A summary of the candidates is then provided to the prime minister through the Defense Ministry for the appointment.
