President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has not undertaken any consultation regarding the appointment of the new chief of army staff with him, adding that the PM would “definitely do it when the time comes”, Dawn reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, during an interview on Dawn News TV, the host asked the president if the PM has initiated consultations on the matter of appointing the new army chief, noting that the premier had last month said that no decision had been taken.
The president replied in the negative, saying: “No, [the PM has not consulted me] but I think he will definitely [do] when the time comes.”
Last month, the PM had said he had so far not thought about an extension in the army chief’s tenure.
During the interview, the president also said that he is concerned about the recent terrorist incidents in Balochistan.
He also talked about Monday’s meeting with Gen Bajwa during which the two discussed recent terrorism incidents in the country.
“Gen Bajwa shared different reasons, including how the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan has led to a situation where weapons such as night-vision goggles and guns have reached the terrorists,” he said.
He also gave his views on the opposition’s plan to move a no-trust motion against the PTI government in the National Assembly.
President Alvi said that it is not an issue to be debated and he has been hearing such things since 2018. “It is waste of time which can instead be spent on [more] positive and substitutive talk,” he said, adding the government is here to stay and is not going anywhere.
