-Unscheduled meeting held amid ongoing process for appointments of new Army Chief, CJCSC
By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari held a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House on Tuesday to discuss the “overall situation” of the country.
A statement released by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the former President enquired about PM Shehbaz’s well-being and was thanked for his visit.
It is pertinent to mention here that Shehbaz had tested positive for Covid-19 on November 15 after returning from the UK. It was the third time the prime minister had tested positive for the virus. The meeting between the two leaders was held amid the process for the next Army Chief’s appointment.
A day ago, the Prime Minister had sought a Defence Ministry summary for the appointment of the new army chief, along with the service dossiers of all prospe-ctive candidates, as the government seems set to name outgoing Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s successor by Friday.
Speaking in Monday’s National Assembly session, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said his ministry had received the prime minister’s letter, asking for the initiation of the appointment process on Monday, which had been forwarded to General Headquarters.
He said the summary, along with the service dossiers of the senior-most lieutenant generals proposed for elevation and appointment as chief of army staff and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, was likely to be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) within two days.
Speaking on a point of order, he said it was possible that the process of the army chief’s appointment would be completed in two to three days. Blaming the media for giving the matter too much hype, Asif said: “The media itself is in a state of confusion. I request them from the floor of this house to maintain the sanctity of the process”.
Earlier on Monday, sections of the media had speculated that the summary for the appointment of the chief of army staff had already reached the PMO. Asif, however, told reporters after a meeting with the prime minister that there was no summary as yet. “We are not under pressure, nor are
we in a hurry. The process is expected to be completed by Nov 25,” he had asserted. Gen Bajwa is retiring on Nov 29, while Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza would retire on Nov 27.
