Tag: extension case

  • Raheel Sharif asked Nawaz Sharif for extension thrice, says ex-general

    Former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif had asked then prime minister Nawaz Sharif to extend his tenure as the chief of army staff thrice, revealed former minister Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch in a talk show.

    Baloch, who was a SAFRON [ministry of states and frontier regions] minister during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government, recently parted ways with the party over its supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s aggressive stance towards the military establishment, especially the incumbent army chief.

    During the TV show, the retired general claimed that as per Nawaz Sharif the former COAS had requested him for an extension thrice. “It was a great disappointment for me as I had expected Raheel Sharif to retire gracefully like a true soldier,” he added.

    Last week, Baloch decided to bid goodbye to the Nawaz league for allegedly speaking against the army. He said that he was leaving the party with “heavy heart” over anti-army rhetoric of the PDM leadership. The ex-general was referring to the speeches made by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership during its rallies.

    “I am a product of the army and cannot stand by the narrative of disobedience since it would be extremely injurious to the country. I have taken the decision of parting ways with heavy heart,” said the retired general who had also served as Corps Commander in Quetta.

  • Nawaz ready to support COAS’s extension legislation, but has conditions: report

    Former prime minister (PM) has agreed to lend support for the legislation in army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension matter, but with a condition, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, former premier is flexible to supporting the Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government legislation to fix the army chief’s tenure but has reservations on giving a legal cover to giving extension to an army chief.

    The government reportedly before filing a review petition against the Supreme Court’s verdict in Gen Bajwa’s extension case tried to gain support of the opposition parties, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), for required legislation.

    “The government had approached us through intermediaries”, reports quoted unknown officials from two opposition parties belonging to the PPP and the PML-N.

    But after failing to gather ‘desirable support’ from them, the government after nearly a month decided to file review petition in the apex court.

    Reports also reveal that a senior legal advisor of the PML-N has said that most party lawmakers believe that by supporting the ruling government on the extension issue could potentially harm the party’s own narrative which it has adopted since the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as PM on July 28, 2017.

    He furhter alleged that the government stage-managed the arrest of PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and denied Maryam Nawaz permission to fly abroad to London after its failure to bend the PML-N and secure ‘unconditional support’ for the extension legislation.

    On the other hand, the PPP has reportedly set certain preconditions for supporting the legislation, which include proposed legislation on the NAB [National Accountability Bureau] law, the appointment of chief election commissioner, and elections reforms.

    On November 28, the Supreme Court had allowed the federal government to grant a six-month conditional extension to Chief of Army Staff (COAS). SC also directed the government to bring necessary legislation within six months’ time.

  • SC issues detailed judgement in Gen Bajwa’s case, points out flaws

    SC issues detailed judgement in Gen Bajwa’s case, points out flaws

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday issued its detailed judgment on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension, pointing out the flaws in the process undertaken by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    Citing procedural loopholes, the top court had last month suspended a notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in August for the army chief’s reappointment till 2022.

    It had directed the federal government to legislate and remove lacunae in the reappointment/extension of tenure of the COAS within six months.

    The detailed written judgement released Monday in connection with the previous short, the SC said it had “found that the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 falls deficient of the structural requirements for raising and maintaining an Army under clause (3) of Article 243 of the Constitution”.

    EXPLAINED:

    The verdict noted that “no tenure or age of retirement for the rank of General is provided under the law. As per the institutional practice a general retires on completion of a tenure of three years. Although an institutional practice cannot be a valid substitute of the law.”

    “There is no provision in the law for extending service of a General for another tenure; nor is there any consistent and continuous institutional practice of granting such extension,” Justice Shah wrote, adding that the summaries for the reappointment, extension and fresh appointment of General Bajwa were “meaningless” in absence of the relevant law.

  • ‘Army chief is our nation’s father,’ says Shehryar Afridi

    Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi has said that army chief is considered as nation’s both mother and father.

    While talking during a talk show on ARY News channel the minister said that in tough situations a nation always takes bold steps to maintain peace in the region.

    Replying to a question about why Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government thinks that a single man can avert tough situations in the country, Shehryar said, “Every house has a father and a mother and both have their own roles, at this stage when the country is in critical situation and facing threats from all sides, all nations has to take bold steps”.

    To this journalist Waseem Badami said that “this seems like an inappropritate example, as you cannot change your father after three or six years”.

    To this the minister said that “the head of state and the head of institution [Army Chief] can be considered as both, a father and a mother”.

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    Army Chief extension case

    The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday allowed the federal government to grant a six-month extension to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    In its short order, the SC directed the government to bring necessary legislation within six months’ time.

    The order, read out by Chief Justice (CJ) Asif Saeed Khosa, ordered the parliament to introduce legislation for appointment of Gen Bajwa under Article 243.

    The order stated regarding the Article 243: “Article 243 of the Constitution clearly mandates that the Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces and the supreme command of the Armed Forces shall vest in the President.”

    CJ Khosa remarked that the court is observing judicial restraint and leaving the matter to the parliament, adding that “We have reviewed several laws including Army Act 1952 and Rule 1954”.

    The court had earlier reserved its verdict in this high-profile case and directed the federal government to furnish a fresh summary of the army chief’s extension of services.