Army chief appointment

PAKISTAN defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday (21) that the process of appointment of the next army chief will be completed by Friday (25), with five or six top generals in the race to succeed incumbent General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

General Bajwa (right), 61, is scheduled to retire on November 29 after a three-year extension. He has ruled out seeking another extension.

“The process for appointment of the highest posts of army has started from today. By the grace of God, it will be completed soon, by fulfilling all constitutional requirements,” Asif tweeted.

In an informal chat with reporters in Islamabad, the minister said a formal recommendation with the names of five or six top three-star generals would be sent by the defence ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Asif added that there was no deadlock over the appointment of the army chief.

He said the prime minister would take the army leadership into confidence, following which a decision would be taken. “I hope the process of appointment will be completed by November 25,” he said.

Though the discussion about the appointment is focused on the army chief, another key appointment of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCS) will also be made at the same time. Two lieutenant generals will be promoted as four-star generals.

The CJCS is the highest authority in the hierarchy of the armed forces, but the key powers lie with the chief of army staff.