Last Updated on: 25th June 2023, 01:21 pm
Who Will Be Next Army Chief Of Pakistan After Bajwa?
General Headquarters (GHQ) has submitted a summary listing the names of the six senior generals to the Department of Defense for selection as the Chairman of the Committee of Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCSC) and Army Chief of Staff (COAS). Inter-Services Public Relations confirmed the story. Ansar Abbasi, the editor of The News Investigations, broke the news on Geo News Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath.
According to Ansar Abbasi, the summary includes the names of Lt. Gen. Asim Munir, Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas, Lt. Gen. Nauman Mehmood, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, and Lt. General Muhammad Amir.
Speaking to host Shahzeb Khanzada, Ansar Abbasi said the appointment of COAS would come without any hurdles.
GHQ transmits the names of the six most important generals to the government
The Defense Ministry sent the summary to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday evening, Ansar Abbasi said, citing a senior official.
ISPR tweeted late at night, “GHQ has sent MoD a selection letter from CJCSC and COAS with the names of 6 senior lieutenants.”
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also later confirmed the story, saying the prime minister’s office had received the summary.
سمری وزارت دفاع سے وزیراعظم آفس میں موصول ھو گئ. انشاءاللہ باقی مراحل بھی جلد طے ھو جائیں گے..
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) November 22, 2022
“The Prime Minister’s Office has received the summary from the Ministry of Defence. InshaAllah, the remaining steps will be clarified soon,” Asif said in a tweet on Wednesday morning.
But before that, on Tuesday evening, Asif tweeted: “InshaAllah, the PMO will receive the summary at the confirmed time.”
In response, German Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also tweeted that it was wrong to attribute a statement to the defense minister and said the Prime Minister’s House had not yet received a letter appointing the new army chief. She had advised against gossip on the matter, saying the information would be shared shortly after the synopsis was received.
Earlier, Asif told Geo News that the decision to appoint the new army chief rests with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Once the Ministry of Defense receives the names of the senior officers, we will forward them to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will then make a decision,” he said.
Asif said it was GHQ’s prerogative to propose the names of senior officers.
He said there were no tensions in civil-military relations and that things were going in the right direction.
When asked how long it would take the prime minister’s house of representatives to decide on the name of the new army chief, the defense secretary said it was only a matter of twenty-four hours.
Asif said the Pakistani army had abandoned the old tradition and now chose to remain neutral.
Earlier, Khawaja Asif called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss issues related to the appointment of the next army chief.
According to local media, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Malik Ahmad Khan was also present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, former PPP leader and co-leader Asif Ali Zardari met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s house on Monday evening.
During the meeting, among other topics, the appointment of the new chief of the army was discussed.
Zardari also inquired about the Prime Minister, who has since recovered from Corona.
“The two leaders discussed the general situation in the country,” the Prime Minister’s House said in a statement. However, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Geo that the two leaders must have discussed the issue of appointing the army chief.
Meanwhile, the prime minister has also called a major federal cabinet meeting for Thursday (morning) on the one-item agenda.
Also Read: What is the Lt. General Asim Munir Retirement Date?