The government in Pakistan is reportedly mulling amendments to the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 which would empower the country’s prime minister to retain the army chief via a simple notification.
Sources told News18 that the amendment would propose to replace the word ‘reappointment’ with ‘retained’. Once the Cabinet Committee on Legislation approves the amendment, the prime minister will have the power to retain the army chief without the president’s assent.
The Cabinet Committee on Legislation was supposed to convene on November 11 but the meeting was cancelled and a new date will be announced soon.
“All questions will be answered in two weeks. Everything will be clear after November 29. The process of appointment is simple and can be done in four to five days. We have a plan and will go by it,” defence minister Khawaja Asif said this week.
Sources told News18 that the defence ministry has asked the army headquarters to move summary for the appointment of the next chief of army staff. The army will send the names of top five Lieutenant Generals to the defence ministry for consideration to be appointed as the next army chief.
Among the frontrunners to be appointed Pakistan’s next army chief is Asim Munir. However, Pakistan Peoples Party president Asif Ali Zardari, a partner in the ruling coalition, reportedly wants current army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s term to be extended by six months.
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