The way in which the appointment of the Army Chief is being made controversial in the country’s politics is unprecedented in the 75-year history of the nation and the sad thing is that the government’s allies and opposition parties have equaled each other in unnecessary rhetoric on this very sensitive issue.
Yesterday, PDM and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that Imran Khan is attacking all institutions including the army.
Earlier, Federal Minister Khurram Dastgir had said about the Prime Minister who went to London that Shahbaz Sharif will consult with Nawaz Sharif on the appointment of Army Chief, to which PTI strongly reacted. It was said that a convicted criminal like Nawaz Sharif cannot decide on the appointment of the Army Chief.
If we talk about the current Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, during his tenure, great calamities befell the country and the Pakistan Army played its part to help the people with every problem. The current flood is a prime example of the Army, Navy and Air Force stepping forward to help the people.
In November 2016, General Qamar Javed Bajwa was appointed as the Army Chief of the country. Before him, General Raheel Sharif assumed the charge of Army Chief on November 29, 2013, and then left the post on November 29, 2016. Today, he is leading the Islamic military alliance.
Earlier, we have the example of General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani who became the Army Chief on November 29, 2007, and left the post on the same day in 2013. Normally the tenure of army chief is 3 years, but General Kayani got an extension.
The current Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been holding the post for 5 years and 294 days and there is no apparent intention to extend his tenure, so the discussion among politicians on appointing a new Army Chief should be considered as a matter of surprise.
The Pakistan Army has apparently not interfered in the politics of Pakistan since General Pervez Musharraf, who was the Army Chief for 9 years and 53 days, during whose tenure a major incident like 9/11 came to light and Muslims were considered terrorists all over the world.
Former Army Chief and Chief Executive of Pakistan General Musharraf tried to explain to the world that Muslims have nothing to do with terrorism by issuing statements on the concept of Jihad and other important issues. I didn’t come.
Just like the politicians did not understand that the army chief is a sensitive post. It is best to keep it out of political discourse, bickering and rhetoric.
