PM to appoint new army chief as per law: Asif Ali Zardari

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will appoint the new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) as per the law and the constitution, Aaj News reported.

According to the spokesman for the Bilawal House, Zardari said “we strongly believe in the system of promotion in the Pakistan Army”.

He said that all the “three-star generals are equal and fully capable of leading the Pakistan Army”.

He urged that the matter of the appointment of the new army chief must not be “politicised” at any cost, which could cause “damage to the institution”.

Zardari's comment comes a day after former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said he had distanced himself from the matter of the new COAS appointment.

Talking to journalists at his residence in Lahore, Imran said that they are closely observing it and the government can do whatever it wants on the matter.

“No army chief goes against the interest of the people,” the former prime minister said while talking to a select group of journalists on Wednesday.

However, he kept his hard stance on PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, saying he (Nawaz) wanted to appoint his own Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) so that his interests were safeguarded.