Polls possible before new army chief’s appointment

Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif Wednesday said the general elections might be held in November prior to the appointment of a new army chief. In an interview with BBC Urdu, he said there was a possibility that the caretaker government might leave before November and a new government will come into power. Regarding the extension of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, he said the army chief had announced that he wasn’t seeking extension in his tenure. “I welcome his decision, as it has closed the door on speculations,” he said, adding that the former army chief General (retd) Raheel Sharif, too, had never “directly or indirectly demanded an extension”. Gen Bajwa will remain in office till November 2022, after his three-year tenure was extended in 2019. Asif further mentioned that if Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed’s name came atop the seniority list, the coalition government will consider him for the post. “All names present on the seniority list will be considered,” he asserted. “There is a sanctity of the army and should not be a topic of discussion in the public domain,” he said, adding that the process of appointment of the army chief should now be “institutionalised” just how it happens in the judiciary. The defence minister said he welcomed the announcement because it had “closed the doors of speculation” and noted that the previous army chief, General (retd) Raheel Sharif, too, had not “directly or indirectly demanded an extension”. He was then asked whether the entire process for Imran’s removal was because of the former premier’s “desire to do things his way”. Denying that this was the case, Asif said it was the prime minister’s prerogative to choose who he wanted from the list of names recommended to him by the army. He noted that army chiefs had been appointed in 2013 and 2016 and the premier at the time had taken the decisions on merit and respected the army’s recommendations. “[Former premier] Nawaz Sharif did not know General Raheel Sharif. He knew General Qamar Javed Bajwa because he had served as the Rawalpindi corps commander. But the institution’s recommendations were respected both times. The [new] appointment will be made on merit in the same way.”Referring to the political upheaval last month in the wake of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan and the Supreme Court’s verdict, the defence minister said: “What happened last month gave us the opportunity to start afresh”. “I believe that the process of [the] army chief’s appointment should 100% be based on merit. Moreover, it is an important issue and should not be the subject of political debate,” he added. In a bid to protect his political interests and continuation of his rule, Imran Khan wanted to bring an army chief of his choice, Asif was quoted as saying. Asif added that his government was not toppled to stop his interference in the process of appointing the new army chief. The defence minister maintained that it was the discretion of the prime minister to select one of the names sent by the army. The PML-N leader admitted that Khan was a “popular leader” but he failed to deliver. “He [Imran Khan] is hiding his failures behind two or three statements. Khan is playing the religion card and retreating from the anti-US narrative,” he added. Asif said Imran was brought to power by the establishment as an alternative to traditional politicians. “In order to be comfortable, the establishment supported Imran [Khan],” he said, adding that the “love for a traditional politician sometimes grows and sometimes it is the other way around”. Asif added that the establishment thought he [Imran Khan] was new to politics and will bring “freshness” to the politics of Pakistan. He, however, added that this experiment harmed the country. The defence minister said, “Now, it does not suit Imran Khan to make institutions neutral.” Terming Imran Khan’s anti-establishment statement “shameful”, Asif said: “He wants to stay in power and for institutions to provide him with crutches.” “For the last four years, everything has been revolving around one person.” Asif said he agreed with the director general of Inter Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) that the army cannot defend itself on public platforms. The federal minister assured that the coalition government will defend the neutral role of the establishment.