Pakistan PM set to appoint new army chief

Pakistan’s nuclear-armed army will soon have a new commander,  with the prime minister’s office confirming that it had received a list of names of six senior generals for arguably the most powerful post in the country.

The current chief of army staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, is to step down on November 29 after serving for six years, Al Jazeera reports.

The office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on November 23 that it had received the names for the positions of army chief as well as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee.

“The Prime Minister will take a decision on the appointments as per the laid down procedure,” it noted.

Bajwa took charge of the 600,000-strong army for three years in November 2016. He was granted an extension in August 2019 by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The confirmation from the prime minister’s office followed confusion, claims and counter-claims that played out in the news as well as on social media, triggering speculation of strained ties between the government and the military.

The military is considered to be Pakistan’s most powerful institution and has ruled the country for more than three decades of the 75 years since it gained independence in 1947, and also imposed martial law thrice.

As prime minister, Sharif has the authority to pick any general from a recommended list.

Defence minister Khawaja Asif tweeted that the list of names would be sent to the prime minister’s office in “due time” after a private broadcaster reported that the names were in.