-Defence Minister says GHQ informed about PM’s letter on Army Chief’s appointment
-Reveals appointment process to be completed within two to three days
-Predicts political unrest will subside after important appointment
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced on Monday that the process of making appointments to the top slots of the Pakistan Army had begun and the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi had already been informed about it.
Speaking in a session of the National Assembly, Asif said his ministry has received the Prime Minister’s letter about initiating the process for the next Army Chief’s appointment.
Furthermore, he said that the letter was communicated to the GHQ as well. Asif said there was a state of “unrest” now that the process for the appointment was initiated.
“It’s possible that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or two days later or three days later this whole process will reach its completion and this unrest will subside.”
The defence minister criticised the media for contributing to the charged atmosphere by airing news about whether the summary of the army chief candidates was sent or not but not bothering to verify the information.
Asif said the process was being treated as if it was the only issue in the country today and nothing else. “This distress is at a time when our economy is weak and we can’t stand on our feet. Hopefully, our effort is that this process passes so we can go towards stability,” he said, hoping that this threshold of the appointment would be crossed in the next two to three days.
Earlier in the day, Asif tweeted that the army chief’s appointment process would be completed soon in line with all constitutional requirements.
Separately, in an informal talk with reporters in Islamabad, Asif ruled out reports of a deadlock over the name of the new army chief.
“There is no deadlock. Once the summary is received, then a discussion will be held,” the senior PML-N leader said.
The defence minister said the prime minister would take the army leadership into confidence, following which a decision would be taken. “Currently, there are five to six senior-most candidates. But no decision has been taken as yet on the names.”
Asif said that consultations over the current state of affairs were taking place on a daily basis. “I had also informed the media earlier that the process [of appointments] would start on Monday,” he said.
He also went on to say that the government was not facing “any pressure” and was also not in any haste. The minister said that a “dossier” and a summary would be sent to the Prime Minister House. “Subsequently, the prime minister will formalise everything and send it to the president.”
When asked to comment on when a formal decision could be expected, the minister responded: “Maybe by tomorrow or the day after.”
