Tag: General Qamar Bajwa

  • Army chief to visit Saudi Arabia days after govt’s oops-a-daisy moment

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss regional security issues and Kashmir dispute with the Saudi leadership, as diplomatic strains occur between Islamabad and Riyadh over the Kashmir issue.

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar confirmed the visit while talking to a foreign news agency on Thursday.

    “Yes, he [Gen Bajwa] is travelling,” the Pakistan Army spokesperson told the foreign media outlet. He added that the visit is pre-planned and “primarily military affairs oriented”.

    During the visit, General Bajwa will have meetings with top Saudi leadership.

    The two countries are traditionally close and Saudi Arabia in 2018 gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and $3.2 billion oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis. But Riyadh is irked by criticism from Islamabad that Saudi Arabia has been lukewarm on the Kashmir territorial dispute, motivating COAS Bajwa’s fence-building visit on Sunday.

    Pakistan has long pressed the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) to convene a high-level meeting to highlight alleged Indian violations in the part it controls. But the OIC has only held low-level meetings so far.

    “If you cannot convene it, then I will be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told local media last week. Qureshi’s remarks angered Riyadh.

    Last year, Islamabad had pulled out of a Muslim nations’ forum in Malaysia at the last minute on insistence by Riyadh, which saw the gathering as an attempt to challenge its leadership of the OIC.

    Saudia Arabia had already made Pakistan pay back $1 billion two weeks ago, forcing it to borrow from another close ally, China, and Riyadh is yet to respond to Pakistan’s request to extend the oil credit facility.

  • Bilawal wants Rehman Malik to explain his meeting with Gen Bajwa

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said he will seek an explanation from Senator Rehman Malik over his meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    “I will seek an explanation from Rehman Malik Sahib,” said Bilawal when a reporter asked him about the meeting between Malik and General Bajwa on Monday.

    He added that the senator may have met the army chief as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Interior. “But I will certainly ask him,” said Bilawal while speaking to reporters with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    On Monday, PPP’s Senator Rehman Malik met the army chief in Rawalpindi. According to the military’s media wing, the two men discussed “matters related to defence and internal security”.

    “Rehman Malik appreciated Pakistan Army’s success in bringing peace to the country and pledged support of the Senate Committee on Internal Security towards consolidating the gains,” the army said a statement.

    Meanwhile, Bilawal on Tuesday had a busy day in Lahore as after meeting Fazl, he also went to see Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

    Among other things, the two discussed the current political situation in the country and the opposition’s plans of launching another anti-government campaign after Eid.

  • Gen Bajwa for sorting out long-pending disputes

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said that the future of enduring peace and stability in South Asia hinges on the ability to resolve long-pending disputes within the region.

    “This can be complemented through meaningful international support and will to take on challenging regional issues,” he said while addressing officers and faculty during a visit to Command and Staff College in Quetta, a press statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

    The statement comes two days after Islamabad approached the United Nations (UN) over New Delhi’s blatant attempt to turn the Muslim-majority in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K) into a minority.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written letters to the UN Security Council president and the UN Secretary General, apprising them of the latest situation in the occupied valley particularly the recent changes brought by the Modi government in domicile laws that would pave the way for non-Kashmiris to acquire permanent residence there.

    Addressing the military officials, Gen Bajwa said that a well-trained and professionally competent Army is guarantor for peace. “Pakistan Army with the backing of the nation is one such formidable force,” he maintained.

    The COAS stressed the need for officers to remain focused on pursuit of professional excellence and keeping abreast with latest developments to overcome new challenges.

    Dilating upon COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan Army along with other state institutions will do all to mitigate the challenges faced by people of Pakistan.

    Only a cohesive national effort shall take Pakistan to progress and prosperity COAS, he stressed.

  • COAS, top army officers review coronavirus measures

    COAS, top army officers review coronavirus measures

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday directed “all concerned to gear up preparations in support of national effort” to counter coronavirus in the country, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported.

    The army chief chaired the 230th Corps Commanders’ Conference at General Headquarters (GHQ), which according to the military’s media-wing, discussed the emerging situation with regards to COVID-19 — the new coronavirus — and the preventive measures taken at army level.

    “COAS directed all concerned to gear up preparations in support of national effort to counter this pandemic in case of any eventuality,” the ISPR said in a statement issued after the meeting.

    The forum also reviewed the operational preparedness, situation along the Line of Control (LoC), geo-strategic environment and national and regional security situation with particular emphasis on the Afghanistan peace process.

    “The path to regional stability and peace passes through Afghanistan. Collaborative approach and patience can help overcome all challenges for which Pakistan is ready to play its part with utmost sincerity,” the army chief emphasised.

  • ‘Why not Imran?’ asks Twitter as US State secy calls Gen Bajwa on Iran tensions

    ‘Why not Imran?’ asks Twitter as US State secy calls Gen Bajwa on Iran tensions

    With United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss heightening tensions with Tehran following the killing of top Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, Twitterati are wondering why did Pompeo choose the army chief over Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan or Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

    The telephonic conversation came after Iran’s top security body vowed to retaliate in the “right place and time” following Revolutionary Guards commander Soleimani’s death in an airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump on Friday.

    “America should know that its criminal attack on General Soleimani has been the country’s biggest mistake in west Asia, and America will not avoid the consequences of this wrong calculation easily,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

    The dramatic escalation and subsequent fears of “World War III” were followed by both Washington and Tehran alerting their allies.

    “#Pakistan’s Chief of Staff General Bajwa and I spoke today about U.S. defensive action to kill Qassem Soleimani. The #Iran regime’s actions in the region are destabilizing and our resolve in protecting American interests, personnel, facilities, and partners will not waver,” Pompeo tweeted on Friday.

    In another tweet, Pompeo disclosed he spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as well about Soleimani’s killing “to protect American lives at stake”.

    ‘MAXIMUM RESTRAINT’:

    Separately, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) disclosed that the army chief and the US secretary of state discussed “regional situation including possible implications” after the escalation in the Middle East. 

    “COAS received telephone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Regional situation, including possible implications of recent escalation in Middle East, was discussed,” the military’s media wing tweeted.

    “COAS emphasised need for maximum restraint and constructive engagement by all concerned to de-escalate the situation in broader interest of peace and stability. COAS also reiterated the need for maintaining focus on success of Afghan Peace Process,” read another tweet.

    ‘WHY NOT IMRAN?’:

    Meanwhile, Twitterati took to Twitter to ask as to why had Pompeo not called PM Imran or FM Qureshi at such a time.

    https://twitter.com/mazharshehzaad/status/1213315972611923968
    https://twitter.com/BILAL_GHARSHEEN/status/1213341499171233792

    The tweets came as Indian journalists such as The Hindu Editor Suhasini Haider pointed out the same.

    While Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) has advised both the US and Iran to refrain from taking “unilateral action” against each other and abide by the United Nations (UN) Charter to respect each other’s territorial integrity, the premier has not yet made any statement.

  • Extension or no extension? All you need to know about Gen Bajwa’s case hearing from Wednesday

    Extension or no extension? All you need to know about Gen Bajwa’s case hearing from Wednesday

    A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising Justice Mazhar Alam and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, has adjourned the hearing of the case regarding the extension in service of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa until Thursday morning.

    Here are key points of Wednesday’s hearing as the extension of Gen Bajwa, who is set to retire on November 29, hangs in balance:

    • Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem, who resigned from office on Tuesday to to represent the army chief, submits his power of attorney to the court
    • CJP asks Attorney General (AG) Anwar Mansoor Khan if the government has accepted the points raised by the court on Tuesday. AG says they have not accepted the mistake.
    • “We will hear everyone as it is an important issue. Earlier, this question was never raised and now that it has been brought forward, all legal aspects will be reviewed. We are not in a hurry,” CJP Khosa remarks.
    • “In the past, five or six generals had their tenures extended by themselves and no one questioned them,” Khosa maintains.
    • Top judge comments on government’s reliance on Article 255 of Army Regulations, says the rule applies to officers and not the army chief.

    Following the SC’s suspension of notification of Gen Bajwa’s extension Tuesday, the federal cabinet had met in two sittings led by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and decided to amend Section 255 of the Army Rules, which pertains to “suspension or limitation of retirement”.

    As per the amendment, it will now also contain “extension in tenure” of the army chief. According to Federal Minister Shafqat Mehmood, the amendment is in line with the premier’s intention to grant an extension to Gen Bajwa.

    • CJP rubbishes media reports claiming Gen Bajwa’s case is a suo motu case. Says court is hearing the petition filed by Advocate Riaz Hanif.
    • Justice Shah wonders how an army chief can be reappointed to the office “when he is no longer part of the staff”, to which, CJP once more inquires whether a retired officer can be reappointed.
    • Hearing gets adjourned twice before top court shifts focus to Army Act.
    • CJP emphasises that the court is looking at the rules regarding the tenure of the army chief, not a general; it must understand Army Act before AG’s arguments.
    • “This is a court of law; it is the law we are looking at, not personalities,” He remarks. “If something is wrong as per the law, we cannot say that it is correct. If [the decision] is not correct as per the law, we will give our verdict,” apex judge says.
    • CJP reiterates he is apolitical. “I will never involve myself in any political activities. This sentence is also part of the oath. It is a very good thing to stay away from political activities.”
    • Hearing has been adjourned until Thursday.

    The government on August 19 had reappointment Gen Bajwa, extending his tenure for three years, citing the “regional security environment”. However, on Tuesday, the SC suspended the notification and issued notices to the federal government, COAS through the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Law.

  • ‘No one can remove a constitutional PM,’ COAS reportedly tells Fazl in ‘important’ meeting

    ‘No one can remove a constitutional PM,’ COAS reportedly tells Fazl in ‘important’ meeting

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been quoted as telling Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman that “there is no possibility of a minus-Imran concept”.

    In an “important” meeting held between the army chief and Fazl ahead of the latter’s Azadi March, a journalist affiliated with a private media outlet quoted the COAS as saying that he stood by the constitution and democracy.

    “We have been doing what the constitution asks for,” the army chief reportedly said.

    Gen Bajwa reminded Fazl that he was a responsible political leader and must be aware that the regional situation is critical. “The situation on the border with India is volatile due to the Kashmir crisis and Afghanistan’s situation is also a source of trouble.”

    The army chief reportedly also referred to Iran-Saudi Arabia affairs and told the JUI-F chief that it was not an appropriate time for staging the protest since the economy had been brought on the right track after herculean efforts within the country and abroad.

    The COAS made it clear that they wouldn’t permit destabilisation at this moment, the anchor claimed. “He [Imran Khan] is a constitutional prime minister (PM) and neither I nor you can minus him,” he quoted Gen Bajwa as saying.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The anchor, who further claimed that Fazl’s meeting with the COAS was “common knowledge” and was held a few days ago, was also among the media persons who called on the premier in Islamabad on Wednesday.

    Speaking to senior journalists during the meeting, PM Imran had said that he wouldn’t resign under pressure from Fazl.

    The JUI-F chief has threatened to block the federal capital with his protest against the “illegitimate” government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). His Azadi March, which is expected to have hundreds of thousands of participants — mainly religious hardliners from the JUI-F — is expected to enter Islamabad on October 31.