— Minister stresses “institutionalisation” of appointment of military boss
— Says his party would consider Gen. Faiz if his name’s on the ‘seniority list’
ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) component parties may decide to call general elections before the completion of the tenure of Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa which is set to expire in November, said Defense Minister Khawaja Asif.
The embattled government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which assumed power after removing Imran Khan in April through a contentious vote of no-confidence, is facing a plethora of challenges on both economic and political fronts.
Having inherited a teetering economy and a “political martyr” Khan, some members of the government have dropped hints after hints, announcing they are preparing — or at least, want — to call early national polls in an attempt to find a way out of the political crisis that has paralysed the country.
Many also feared that the political turmoil puts the fragile civilian democracy at risk and could pave the way for the military establishment to step in.
Commenting on the situation, Asif, who was interviewed by BBC Urdu, said: “It is quite possible the government decides to hold elections before appointing Gen. Bajwa’s successor […] before November.
“There will be a caretaker set-up at that time. It is also possible that the caretaker government is gone and the new government is [in power] before November.”
An early election should placate the courts and military. A supposedly neutral caretaker government would have to be installed to oversee a three-month election period.
When asked if the coalition would award a second extension to Gen. Bajwa, Asif recalled that the army chief has himself announced that he does not want his term to be extended.
Gen. Bajwa will remain in office until November 29, when his second three-year tenure will expire. He was given the extension by the government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in 2019.
In April, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar had confirmed that Gen. Bajwa “is neither seeking the extension of his tenure nor will he accept it”.
“I welcome his decision as it has closed the door on speculations,” Asif said, observing that retired Gen. Raheel Sharif, Gen. Bajwa’s predecessor, too, had never “directly or indirectly demanded an extension”.
The minister said he believed the process for appointing a military boss should be “institutionalised” similar to the judiciary. “There is no speculation about [a chief justice]. I know who will become the chief justice in 2028.”
“In my opinion, instead of discussing the matter of the army chief’s appointment, the process should 100 percent be based on merit. There is a sanctity of the institution of the army, it should never be the subject of political debate,” he said.
Asif said the government would also former spy chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed for the office “if his name is on the seniority list”.
“All names on the [seniority] list will be considered,” he added.
He maintained that it is the discretion of the prime minister to select one of the names sent by the military.
The minister also admitted that Khan is a “popular leader” but claimed that he has failed to deliver.
“He [Khan] is hiding his failures behind two or three statements […] and playing the religion card and retreating from the anti-American narrative,” he added.
