The appointment of the COAS will adhere to the Constitution, PM Asif confirms PM spoke with the senior Sharif in London about the issue.
ISLAMABAD: The administration took efforts to stress that the nomination of the next army chief would be made in accordance with the Constitution, but the topic nonetheless dominated Friday’s national political debate.
The announcement was made as widespread rumours and controversy surrounded the impending change of guard.
Confusion and rumours regarding the matter increased as a result of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s protracted stay in London with his top advisers, ostensibly to negotiate the important appointment and other matters of national importance with his elder brother Nawaz Sharif.
The prime minister left London for his native country late on Friday night following what the media claimed was an important discussion with his older brother. Later, the prime minister declared that while choosing the name of the new army head, the constitutional process would be followed.
In addition, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Twitter that no decision had yet been made by the PML-N leadership over who would succeed outgoing Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
A “final decision will be reached once the constitutional process fully begins,” the minister said, adding that top party leadership, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the older Sharif had discussed the choice of the new military czar in London.
At a news conference last month, Asif stated that the appointment process would start at the beginning of November. On November 29, Army Chief Gen. Qamar Bajwa is scheduled to retire.
The PML-high N’s brass determined in a meeting in London that the senior-most army general would become the new military leader, according to news sources, which led to the minister’s tweet.
Among other things, the premier and the defence minister travelled to London to ask the elder Sharif for advice on the important position.
It was assumed that PM Shehbaz’s travel was mostly intended to confirm the name of the new army chief in consultation with his brother, who has made several such appointments in the past, since he left for London after attending the COP-27 summit in Egypt.
The selection of the army chief was the main item on the agenda of the London meeting, as later confirmed by Asif and numerous other PML-N leaders. However, the PML-N leadership has been quite cautious when making announcements about the new military chief’s selection.
When contacted for comment, the defence minister would only share his tweet, in which he claimed that there had been media speculation that the Shehbaz-Nawaz meeting in London had resulted in a decision regarding the appointment of the army chief and that, while there had undoubtedly been consultation in this regard, the decision would be made after consultation once the constitutional process got underway.
The PML-N leadership has agreed to choose the senior-most army general as the next chief, according to press sources, which Asif did not specifically dispute.
When asked to clarify the situation, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb declined to confirm or refute any such rumours and instead chose to post Asif’s tweet.
After the significant London meeting, the PML-N leadership has been quiet save from Asif’s tweet.
READ Imran says Nawaz won’t permit the COAS to be chosen based on merit.
Political analysts claim that PM Shehbaz went to meet with Nawaz Sharif to discuss a candidate that the PM would propose to coalition partners; as a result, it is safe to assume that at least the PML-N has made a choice on the new military leader.
But when questioned about it, the minister of information remained silent. Asif also opted to remain silent when questioned directly if the news stories about choosing the senior-most officer were true or false. After meeting with Nawaz Sharif, PM Shehbaz earlier responded to a journalist’s query by saying that the nomination of the army commander was a constitutional matter and would be handled in accordance with the constitution.
Asif previously stated in an interview with a media outlet that the new military chief’s summary had previously been postponed after November 18. He added that there was still one week remaining and hoped that all would be resolved promptly and without incident.
On November 11, it became clear that the political meeting in London was unable to select Bajwa’s replacement.
However, according to sources in the PML-N, it was resolved at the meeting that the government will not buckle under criticism on the new military chief from any quarters, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
In addition to discussing the selection of a new army head, PM Shehbaz and the PML-N leadership also reviewed the government’s plan to deal with the PTI’s long march and analysed recent statements from the military’s media wing.
According to sources in the PML-N, the objective was to achieve “reverse engineering” and pick a military head who does not pressure the government into holding early elections. The administration was also said to be unambiguous in its desire for stable relations with the institution.
According to the source, “accepting the snap elections or announcing a date for early elections would be equivalent to committing political suicide.” As surprising as it may seem, the insider had noted that given the fragile economic condition and the devastating floods that have ravaged the nation, neither the government nor the establishment could afford elections right now or anytime soon.
The insider had acknowledged that “things would not settle until the selection of the next army chief,” adding that the premier’s abrupt departure for the UK was consistent with the changing circumstances, particularly after the army chief started farewell meetings.
Ahsan Iqbal, the minister of planning, stated that the next army chief would be named before November 29. “The announcement will be made in the next day or two when the prime minister returns to the country.”
The statement would be made at the “right time,” he claimed, adding that the prime minister had his “eye” on the problem. Iqbal stated that Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, will only consider preserving Pakistan’s strong defence and raising the level of military professionalism as the only criteria for the choice of the army chief.
The nomination of the army chief must be handled professionally rather than politically.
Iqbal stated that the situation was a “regular appointment” and that conjecture should be avoided. He criticised Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, for being the only politician in the nation’s history to politicise the appointment of the army chief.
