Appointment of COAS to be ‘as per law’: govt

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Wednesday, said that the appointment of the army chief will be completed as per the law and the Constitution, and anyone among the five nominated names can be appointed as the new army chief.

Talking to the media, he said the next general elections will be held as per schedule.

Asif announced that the process would either start by the end of this month or the beginning of the next and that it will be done in line with the law and the Constitution. Asif added that it is the discretion of the sitting prime minister to choose among the names forwarded by the Defence Ministry.

Speaking on the appointment of the army chief on the basis of seniority, the defence minister said: “All three-star generals are eligible for this.” The defence minister; however, said that in the past, names other than the five suggested have also been chosen for the military chief’s position.

Appointment of COAS is done on merit, says Asif

The defence minister said the armed forces are the defenders of Pakistan’s frontiers and security. He said they are not meant to safeguard the interests of an individual person on his wishes.

The minister said that the PTI chairman is curious about November approaching, but the month will pass by peacefully.

“Imran Khan proved that he was not eligible for the prime minister’s position,” he said, adding that it is people like him who come into power when the Results Transmission System (RTS) stops working.

He further said Imran Khan bites the hand that feeds him. For as long as Imran Khan was in power, he was indebted to someone; ‘and look how he talks today’. He also claimed that Khan asked for forgiveness while meeting “them” but flares up during his rallies.

The defence minister said that Khan talks about cases being pardoned by the Punjab government and questioned which of PML-N’s cases have been pardoned.

“He should list one case of ours which has been pardoned. We know that he sent his message to Punjab through the President of Pakistan Arif Alvi,” the minister said.

Khawaja Asif said the coalition partners removed Imran Khan from power through the no-confidence motion as per the democratic process. He said Imran Khan, through his lies, is continuously misleading the nation. He said audio leaks of Imran Khan had exposed his foreign-conspiracy mantra. According to the minister, politicians have long fought for our institutions to remain neutral.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022