Pak army chief’s appointment process to begin tomorrow: Asif
‘I am inviting the entire nation to reach Rawalpindi next Saturday. I will meet you there and announce my future course of action. This movement is not going to stop even ater this march’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will appoint the new army chief in place of General Qamar Javed Bajwa early next week.
“The process of the appointment of the army chief will start from Monday and finalised in a week,” Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said.
He told a TV channel that the name of the new chief would come out by Tuesday or Wednesday and the change of command ceremony would be held on Nov.29. He said the long march would suffer a serious blow the day the appointment decision was made.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said consultations had been completed and the new chief would be appointed in a day or two.
Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi has assured the federal government that he will not hold the appointment of the army chief as suggested by the prime minister. His party, Pakistan Tehrik-einsaf (PTI), has announced that it will back the president’s decision to deal with the summary proposed by the prime minister.
In the meantime, former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has admited that he had held a secret meeting with Gen Bajwa courtesy of President Alvi and its objective was to seek immediate and transparent elections.
Alvi said that he will follow through on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s advice regarding the high-level appointment and he could not create hurdles in the muchanticipated process.
Imran said the appointment of the chief of the armed forces should be done like that of the Supreme Court’s chief justice. He added that the incumbent government is making proposed amendments to the Army Act for its own benefit. “The proposed amendment to the Army Act will be challenged in the Supreme Court.”
In a significant development, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari said his party believed in the promotion system for the army and that the top army boss`s appointment would be made by the prime minister as per the Constitution.
He said the appointment should not be politicised otherwise it could harm the institution. “All three-star generals are equal and capable (to hold the office), he added.
Meanwhile, sources said Shahbaz Sharif, who is currently quarantined ater testing positive for COVID-19, has spoken to Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the army chief’s appointment.
They said a formal meeting of the prime minister with Fazl and Zardari on the mater was expected Sunday.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehrik-einsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday announced Nov.26 as Rawalpindi’s touchdown date having a break of one week for his long march, which started several days from Lahore.
He said the snap polls are the only option to pull Pakistan out of the “mess it has plunged into due to the coalition government.” He e will share further details and the next course of action in Rawalpindi.
He asked his supporters and party leaders to converge on Rawalpindi on Nov.26 to demand free and fair elections. “I am inviting the entire nation to reach Rawalpindi next Saturday. I will meet you there and announce my future course of action. This movement is not going to stop even ater this march,” he said while addressing supporters via video link in Rawat near Rawalpindi.
“We can never achieve real freedom while siting at home and living like sheep,” Imran said as he urged supporters to come out of their homes to force the government to call snap polls.
He also addressed the powerful quarters, saying, “Ask anyone you want, be it business community, farmers, IT sector or anyone else… everyone believes that free and fair elections is the only way forward to steer the country out of this quagmire.”
Addressing the participants from the long march via a video link, Imran said that he received letters before his rallies in the past six months, warning him about the threat to his life.
“I knew that they were making a plan to kill me but I still proceeded,” Imran added.
“I have no need to risk my life and set out but it was in my mind from childhood that death is beter than slavery. This is slavery what is happening. I as an ex-prime minister could not register my FIR … so think what rights you as the nation have,” Imran said.
He also hit out against Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhuto Zardari, claiming that he has “no future” in politics. “He still can’t speak Urdu properly and people can’t understand him. I predict that most of his life will be spent on finding where his father has stashed money from corruption.”
The former premier said the incumbent government did not have any plan or road map to lit the country out of crises. “The entire nation will come to Rawalpindi and we will demand free and fair elections… this movement will not stop until we achieve real freedom.”
Imran said he thanked God that the people were now awake, adding that a nation truly rises when it becomes conscious about its rights.
Imran has highlighted the significance of awareness, saying that a nation who is enlightened, struggles for freedom.
The PTI cvhairman criticised and condemned the treatment meted out to his party workers and supporters during the previous long march to Islamabad in May.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that the “final stage” of the party’s long march has arrived, urging people to “get ready” for the PTI chief Imran Khan’s call.
He announced the long march’s plan and added that today the cavalcades under the leadership of Vice President PTI Shah Mehmood Qureshi and senior leader Asad Umar will meet in the province’s Rawat area. He furthered that the former prime minister will give a call later today to the people to reach Rawalpindi.
PTI’S official Twiter handle announced that the second phase of the march ended at Rawat on Saturday.
PTI Senator Faisal Javed also tweeted and said that the party will protest peacefully at the court’s designated place in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad Capital Territory’s (ICT) administration on Saturday granted permission to the PTI to conduct its rally from Koral to Rawat areas. The 35-point no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the capital’s administration was signed by the district magistrate of Islamabad and PTI Islamabad President Ali Nawaz Awan.
The rally is set to join the larger PTI long march procession, with party chief Imran Khan soon to announce the plan to march to Rawalpindi.