ISLAMABAD: A minister warned Arif Alvi not to “play politics” with the appointment of the new army chief, a day after the president said he’d approve the appointment of Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa’s successor in line with the procedure laid out in the Constitution.
In an interview with journalist Asma Shirazi on Monday, the president said that “broader consultation” on the appointment of the army chief was a must so that a consensus could be developed.
He also expressed his desire that a summary of the appointment be sent to his office after the consultation has been completed.
“The president doesn’t have any role under the Constitution of Pakistan in the appointment of the army chief,” Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar told a TV station on Tuesday.
He said Alvi is politicising the matter to fulfil the interests of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party which Tarar claimed violated the president’s role defined in the Constitution.
Tarar clarified that appointing the army chief is the sole prerogative of the prime minister.
