Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been considering all the legal options including approaching the Supreme Court (SC) in a bid to block the appointment of a new army chief by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
A local media report has claimed that a PTI leader, on condition of anonymity, has told that the party was looking for legal options to delay the appointment of a new army chief till the new government is formed after fresh general elections.
The PTI leader has also been quoted as saying that the legal option of approaching the apex court was under serious consideration but the move would be made in November if things do not change.
However, the media report has also quoted PTI’s senior leader Fawad Chaudhry as denying any such information. Fawad has been quoted as saying that PTI did not want to give PM Shehbaz Sharif and the coalition government the right to select such a key appointment.
Fawad has said that the appointment should be deferred and the new government must decide. Fawad also denied that he had no information of any such idea of contacting the Supreme Court. He also denied that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had not referred the matter of the new Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) appointment over to the legal minds of the party.
Fawad Chaudhry also said that there was discussion made only over the statement of Khurram Dastgir that Nawaz Sharif will be consulted for the appointment of army chief.
Imran Khan has maintained openly in public gatherings that the incumbent coalition government should not appoint the new army chief.
The government has shown determination in overuse of its constitutional authority for the appointment of COAS.
