Tag: Qamar Javed Bajwa

  • COAS appointment notification to be issued by Nov 26 says Khawaja Asif

    COAS appointment notification to be issued by Nov 26 says Khawaja Asif

    Khawaja Asif, Minister for Defence, said Monday that the notification for the appointment of the next chief of army staff (COAS) would be issued by November 26 before the end of the tenure of the outgoing chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa – who retires on November 29.

    Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly (NA) on November 21, Asif said his ministry had received a letter from the Prime Minister, asking for initiation of the appointment process on Monday, which had been forwarded to General Headquarters.

    He said the summary, along with the service dossiers of the senior-most lieutenant generals proposed for elevation and appointment as chief of army staff and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, was likely to be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office within two days.

    Appearing on Geo News programme “Capital Talk” on November 21, the minister said, “The appointment process for the highest offices in the Pakistan Army has commenced today.”

    “Once the matter [the appointment issue] is settled, the political leaders should join hands, sit together, and talk so that the appointment is not politicised in the future,” he emphasised.

    When senior journalist Hamid Mir asked Khawaja Asif as to why Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), chose November 26 as the date for his long march, the minister stated that Khan might be considering that President Dr Arif Alvi would not approve PM Shehbaz’s recommendation for the COAS.

    Lashing out at Imran Khan for “causing damage” to the honour and prestige of state institutions after being ousted from office, Asif said, “Today, an institution [army] is categorically stating that it has decided to give up its political or unconstitutional role and has made the announcement that it will play its constitutional role of defending the motherland, but Imran Khan has made their neutrality a curse.”

  • Name of new COAS will be revealed by Tuesday or Wednesday, says Khawaja Asif

    Name of new COAS will be revealed by Tuesday or Wednesday, says Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that the name of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) will be revealed by Tuesday or Wednesday.

    Discussing the all-important appointment on Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, the defence minister said that the process to appoint a new head of the armed forces would start on Monday.

    During the show, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said that the change of command ceremony would be held on November 29. He also predicted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march would suffer a severe blow the day the appointment decision was finalised.

    COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the incumbent army chief, is set to retire later this month. On multiple instances, he has ruled out an extension in his tenure — and so has the military.

    Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the matter of the next army chief’s appointment would be settled in a day or two.

    “I believe the Prime Minister has completed this process (of consultation) and will bring it to paper, today or tomorrow or the next two days, [it] takes no time,” he said.

    “I will also request you that this is a matter of a day or two so don’t ask questions which can lead to unnecessary speculation,” he said, adding that “there is not a lot of time left to this decision and it will come before you.”

  • ‘Long march mein aanay walay logon se ziada mere mulaazim hain’: Faisal Vawda

    ‘Long march mein aanay walay logon se ziada mere mulaazim hain’: Faisal Vawda

    Former Senator of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Faisal Vawda has said that his party’s ongoing long march is sparsely attended, remarking that, “Long march mein aanay walay logon se ziada mere mulaazim hain,” (I have more employees than the number of people who attend the long march).

    During Samaa News‘ show ‘Nadeem Malik Live’, Vawda criticised his former party members without naming them, calling them “snakes”. He said that these leaders claimed that there would be hundreds of thousands of people participating in the long march. “Jitny log long march main a rahy hain is se zyada toh school ke bachay assembly mei hotay hain,” (More children attend school assembly than the number of people attending the long march).

    Vawda confirmed the meeting between PTI Chief Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa at the President’s House.

    “I helped in arranging that meeting. There were misunderstandings between the two parties but the meeting went well.”

    He claimed that PTI is popular among the people right now, however, he raised questions about why the party is carrying out the long march.

    Last month, Vawda had predicted that PTI’s march would be a bloody one. After that, the former ruling party terminated Vawda’s basic membership.

    PTI said that he would not be allowed to hold any party office or represent the party in the media as he had “grossly violated discipline by giving statements against party policies and guidelines”.

  • All eyes on the COAS appointment as Gen Bajwa and President Alvi arrive in Lahore

    All eyes on the COAS appointment as Gen Bajwa and President Alvi arrive in Lahore

    President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa were in Lahore on Friday night as speculations ran rife on who will be appointed the new army chief. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman is also in Lahore, recuperating from surgeries at his home in Zaman Park.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif will soon return from London after consulting his elder brother and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif on the political quagmire in the country and the appointment of a new army chief.

    According to news reports, President Alvi has emerged as the leading figure in the army’s ongoing “backchannel talks” with PTI. He has already facilitated at least one direct meeting between Gen Bajwa and Khan at the Presidency.

    In an interview on Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira — whose party also holds an important position in the ruling alliance — said merit would determine who becomes the next army chief.

    “The [government] will appoint the next army chief from among the top-five senior generals,” Kaira said and mentioned that PM Shehbaz would return to Pakistan and deliberate over the matter with members of the government and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

    Lashing out at Khan, Kaira said the person against whom Khan had reservations was the same man with whom he spent four years in power.

    Earlier this week, PM Shehbaz and Nawaz Sharif agreed not to succumb to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) pressure, especially on Khan’s key demand for early elections.

    The Premier had a meeting that lasted for over three hours with his elder brother. Reportedly, Nawaz told Shehbaz to “continue doing his best to take Pakistan out of the economic crisis” and “not succumb to any kind of pressure”.

    Meanwhile, Khan has also reiterated his stance on appointing the army chief on “merit” and criticised PM Shehbaz for consulting Nawaz on this all-important appointment.

    During an address to participants of his party’s long march in Gujrat via video link, Khan said: “Whoever fits the merit, should be appointed the army chief.”

    “Nawaz Sharif always brings up the man who is beneficial for him,” Khan said referring to the appointment’s decision. The statement was in stark contrast to Khan’s stance of just a day earlier, as reported by Dawn, when he told journalists that, “They [government] can appoint whoever they want.”

  • COAS Bajwa is making farewell visits, is he really going to retire?

    COAS Bajwa is making farewell visits, is he really going to retire?

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Sialkot and Mangla garrisons to bid farewell to various formations, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

    The head of the armed forces met officers and men at both locations and addressed the troops even as speculations raged about whether the Chief will ask for or be offered an extension of tenure.

    At the garrison, General Bajwa appreciated the formations for their excellent performance during various operations, training, and natural calamities. Moreover, he also advised them to keep serving the nation with zeal and commitment regardless of circumstances.

    According to the military’s media wing, on his arrival in Sialkot, the COAS was received by Lieutenant General Muhammad Aamer and by Lieutenant General Ayman Bilal Safdar at Mangla garrison.

    Earlier this week, COAS Bajwa visited Peshawar Corps Headquarters where he urged officers to stay focused on their professional duties and serve the nation. A few weeks ago, the army chief also took the top military commanders into confidence about his retirement plan.

    Last month, during an informal talk at the National Defence University (NDU) the COAS reportedly stated that he would retire on the due date—November 29. The statement however did not quell rumors about an extension in his service tenure.

    Qamar Javed Bajwa is set to retire after six years in office. He was appointed in 2016 by then-Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and later granted an additional three-year extension in 2019 by former PM Imran Khan.

    It has been reported this week that suggestions were made to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) by “certain elements” to convince the COAS to continue as the head of the armed forces.

    Some reports suggested that the government was told to give an extension to the incumbent army chief, and dissolve the government so that an interim government could be formed which would then continue for six to seven months.

    The Chief’s farewell visits might now finally put all speculation to rest.

  • Sharif brothers agree on resisting PTI pressure: reports

    Sharif brothers agree on resisting PTI pressure: reports

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif agreed not to succumb under Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) pressure, especially on their Chairman Imran Khan’s key demand of early elections, reports Geo News.

    The Premier, who is currently in London, had a meeting that lasted for over three hours with only Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz, Suleman Sharif, Hasan and Hussain Nawaz and a few other family members present. No one from the party was asked to join the meeting.

    Nawaz told Shehbaz to “continue doing his best to take Pakistan out of the economic crisis” and “not succumb to any kind of pressure”.

    According to the news report, when Shehbaz Sharif was asked if he will be discussing the appointment of the next army chief with his sibling, the PM said: “I have come today to meet my elder brother and my family. I am meeting them and their children after a long time.”

    After the end of the meeting, he was again pressed as to when the next chief of army staff will be appointed but the PM dodged the question, stating instead that the meeting was a family get together with and said: “ my brother, my nieces, my nephews and rest of the family too. We had lunch, gup shup and congratulations to all of you on Pakistan’s (cricket) win.”

    This visit to London is the third such trip since Shehbaz became prime minister in April. Sharif’s visit to London comes two weeks before the end of General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure. The army chief is set to retire on November 29.

    It has been reported that Shehbaz will consult Nawaz on the appointment of the Pakistan army chief.

  • Dosti khatam? Khan reveals reasons for having rift with Gen Bajwa

    Dosti khatam? Khan reveals reasons for having rift with Gen Bajwa

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has disclosed the reasons as to why he is no longer on the same page with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, claiming that the head of the armed forces did not consider corruption a bad thing.

    Talking about why there is a plausible rift between the army chief and Khan and why he has started talking against him, Khan said, “This should be asked from Gen Bajwa. He didn’t consider corruption bad as I did. He was not ready to do accountability.”

    “For the past 26 years, I have been saying that without the rule of law, a nation cannot progress. This was not his ‘thing’. We had other conflicts as well. He wanted to make Aleem Khan Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab in place of Usman Buzdar,” revealed Khan.

    PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry hit back at criticism that the party’s long march was moving slowly, saying it would proceed at its own pace, adding “We will also keep changing our plan to reach Islamabad to baffle the government.”

    Replying to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice president Maryam Nawaz and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah observations that the march is proceeding slowly, Fawad said, “I want to tell them [that] we will move according to our own pace, not according to yours.”

    He said that the party could give dates for reaching Rawalpindi and Islamabad one day and change them the next. “You will have to do the guesswork daily.”

    A day prior to this Imran Khan had said in an interview, “Let them impose martial law.” On the fourth day of his long march, his statement was addressed to the establishment in reply to a question asked by journalist Imran Riaz Khan.

    “Impose martial law. If they want to impose, It doesn’t affect me,” said Khan.

    Khan further added that the current political scenario in the country was worst than former President and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Pervez Musharraf’s martial law. Khan added that when PTI leaders Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill were tortured they were told that, “Imran would face the same.”

  • I do not talk to ‘boot polishers’, Khan responds to PM Shehbaz’s claims of holding talks

    I do not talk to ‘boot polishers’, Khan responds to PM Shehbaz’s claims of holding talks

    Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while responding to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s statement about holding talks on the new army chief’s appointment, said that he does not talk to “boot polishers”.

    Shehbaz Sharif had said a day earlier that Imran Khan had sent him an invitation through a businessman acquaintance to discuss the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

    “I spoke to those with whom Shehbaz speaks while hiding in the trunk of a car,” said Khan. He also questioned why he would send a message to the premier.

    Khan also said that he was not raised in a “military dictator’s nursery”.

    “I do not call Ayub Khan daddy like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. I am not like Nawaz Sharif who build General Jilani’s home and massaged General Ziaul Haq’s knees to become a minister,” said the PTI leader.

    On the Indian media’s coverage of his attack on military officials, the PTI chief told the neighbouring country’s media that his party is standing with the army.

    “I came to power with the people’s power not because of the establishment,” claimed Khan, adding that he only seeks rule of law in the country and the protection of the people’s rights.

    Continuing his attack on the coalition government, the PTI chief said that former dictator Pervez Musharraf harmed the country by giving an NRO to these parties.

    During a meet-up with vloggers in Lahore, the Premier had said that the PTI chief approached him a month ago and wanted to settle two issues through dialogue.

    PM Shehbaz said, “The first matter was the army chief’s appointment and the second was holding elections. However, I refused,” he stated.

    The prime minister shared that Khan offered to send him three names for the Chief’s slot and sought three from him to appoint the next army chief. The Premier said that Khan told him through the intermediary, “Let’s appoint the army chief together.”

    “I sent a message to him [Khan] that is a constitutional duty that the prime minister has to perform,” said PM Shehbaz.

  • ‘Cipher, Arshad Sharif, Khan’s hidden meetings with COAS’: History’s first joint DG ISI and Army press conference

    ‘Cipher, Arshad Sharif, Khan’s hidden meetings with COAS’: History’s first joint DG ISI and Army press conference

    In a historic press conference held on Thursday, the Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum addressed media for the first time, accompanied by the DG of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Major General Babar Iftikhar. The two top ranking officers of the armed services spoke about journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s confrontational narrative against the military, his hidden meetings with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, foreign conspiracy, Washington cipher as well as a host of other related topics.

    DG ISPR says Imran Khan’s cipher and US regime change narrative is a complete pack of lies

    Talking about the cipher, General Iftikhar said that the COAS had discussed the contents of the document with Imran on March 11 where the then-Prime Minister had dismissed it as, “not a big deal”.

    “It was surprising for us when on March 27 a piece of paper was waved and an attempt was made to build a narrative that was far from reality,” the DG said, referring to Imran Khan’s rally where he first unveiled the ‘conspiracy’ crafted by America to oust his government.

    General Iftikhar then said that several facts had come to light regarding the cypher revealing the “baseless and unfounded” narrative surrounding it. The ISPR informed the National Security Committee that no proof was found regarding the conspiracy against the PTI government, he said, adding that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) also did not find any evidence of the conspiracy.

    “This is all part of the record. We wanted to bring this to the public. And we left the decision to the-then government,” he stated.

    “The word neutral and apolitical was turned into an abuse”

    Gen Iftikhar stated that it was being expected that the army would intervene in domestic politics. “The words neutral and apolitical were turned into an abuse words. Despite this baseless narrative, the army chief and the institution showed restraint and we tried our level best that politicians sit together to resolve their issues.”

    ARY News played the role of a spin doctor 

    “In this media trial, ARY News played the role of a spin doctor in targeting the army and promoting a false narrative […] the NSC meeting was presented in the wrong context,” said Gen Iftikhar. He noted that Arshad Sharif made strong comments about the army during this time but added that “We did not have any negative sentiments about him and we don’t have such feelings now”.

    At this time, Sharif and other journalists were fed a particular narrative and an attempt was made to defame Pakistan and the country’s institutions across the world, he revealed.

    ‘Salman Iqbal should be brought back’

    The DG ISPR went on to say that the name of the ARY CEO Salman Iqbal was surfacing again and again in the incident that ended in Arshad Sharif’s killing. “He should be brought back to Pakistan and made part of the probe,” the DG said without mincing his words.

    He said that after Sharif’s death, people had started pointing fingers at the army. “It has to be determined who exactly benefitted from his killing.,” General Iftikhar said, asking the large number of journalists gathered there to unearth facts and bring them to life. “We have to wait for the report from the inquiry commission. Until the report is released, it is not appropriate to make allegations,” he cautioned.

    Details of Arshad Sharif’s departure

    Offering more details of the circumstances of Arshad Shrif’s departure from Pakistan, Babr Iftikhar said that on August 8 2022,  ARY News aired Shehbaz Gill’s controversial statements about the army’s rank and file. The statement was roundly condemned, and Gill, the Chief of Staff for Imran Khan, was arrested a day later.

    He said that when the head of ARY News, Ammad Yousaf,  was arrested in August, it emerged that CEO Salman Iqbal had asked the former to send Sharif abroad as soon as possible.

    The DG ISPR stated that a manager in the ARY Group booked a ticket for Sharif for Dubai, according to which he was supposed to be back on September 9.

    “On Aug 10, he left Peshawar airport thorough PK-637 for Dubai. He was provided complete protocol by the KP government,” he said, adding that the late journalist was escorted by KP officers to the airport.” The institutions never tried to stop Arshad Sharif, if the government wanted to stop him they would have done it through FIA.

    Stating that Arshad remained in the UAE until he had a valid visa, the DG said that the late journalist left for Kenya when his visa for Dubai expired. He said that no one “forced” Sharif to leave Dubai at a government level and questioned who exactly forced him to leave. He also questioned who processed the journalist’s documents in the UAE, who arranged his accommodations, who forced him to not return to Pakistan and who assured him that he was safe in Kenya.

    He also questioned who was in contact with Sharif from Pakistan and who was hosting him in Kenya. “Kenyan police accepted their mistake and it has to be examined whether this is a case of mistaken identity or one of targeted killing. There are several questions that have to be answered,” he said, calling for a “transparent and fair probe”.

    Therefore, the government has been requested to form a high-level inquiry commission, he explained.

    “If you see him as a traitor, then why do you meet him through the back door?”: DG ISI

    The ISI chief also made an appearance in today’s press conference — the first time a spy chief has done so in Pakistan’s history.

    Talking about the former premier Imran, the ISI chief said that while citizens had the right to their opinion, he asked why had the Chairman of the PTI praise dthe COAS in the past.

    Referring to Imran Khan’s continued thinly veiled references directed at General Bajwa, the spy chief asked, “If you see him as a traitor, then why do you meet him through the back door? […] Don’t meet him quietly at night through the back door and express your unconstitutional wishes but call him a traitor in broad daylight. That’s a big contradiction between your words and your actions.”

    Lt Gen Anjum also made the revelation that in March, Gen Bajwa was given a “lucrative offer” for an extension in his tenure. “The offer was made in front of me. He rejected it because he wanted the institution to move forward from a controversial role to a constitutional role.”

    I did not make an appearance for personal reasons: DG ISI

    Explaining his unprecedented presence before the media, General Nadeem Anjum offered an explanation. “I would often see that lies [were being perpetuated] and the youth was accepting it. I did not make an appearance for personal reasons. I saw the way the country and institutions were facing threats due to lies which is why I broke my silence,” he said.

    “There were campaigns against me in March on social media. I got a call from the agency that a campaign was underway against me. I told them get in touch when the retweets exceed eight thousand million. Before that, I don’t care about myself,” the DG ISI explained.

    He said that he would have addressed the media earlier if it was for personal reasons. “Those sacrificing their lives should not have to face these lies. Hence, remaining silent was morally unacceptable to me,” he firmly stated.

  • Azam Swati granted bail in case of controversial tweets

    Azam Swati granted bail in case of controversial tweets

    A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Friday granted post-arrest bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati in a case related to controversial tweets against Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    Special Judge Central, Raja Asif Mehmood, announced the verdict today which was reserved a day ago. The court directed Swati to deposit surety bonds worth Rs10,000.

    PTI senator Azam Swati was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agenc’s (FIA) Cybercrime Wing (CCW) from his home in Islamabad on October 13 after registering a case against him over the tweets.

    In his concluding arguments, Swati’s counsel Baber Awan said that his client had used the right of freedom of expression through his tweet.

    Swati was tortured and humiliated during the custody, Awan alleged.

    After listening to arguments, the court reserved the decision and adjourned the case till today.

    Swati had tweeted, “Mr Bajwa congratulations to you and few with you. Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country. With these thugs getting free, you have legitimised corruption. How you predict now the future of this country (sic).”

    Swati said that he was arrested for “taking one name — of Bajwa — and that is the violation”.