ISLAMABAD – Former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday clarified that he did not suggest extension in the tenure of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa; he just asked for delaying the appointment of the army chief until fresh elections.
The defiant politician made the statement a day after he was reported to have suggested that appointment of the new COAS should be deferred until the new government is elected.
The PTI chief clarified his comments during an interaction with journalists, saying he never talked about extension to the army chief.
Khan again stressed merit, saying Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari were not eligible to make such crucial appointments.
On Monday, the former Pakistani premier made headlines with his remarks about extension to the army chief. The outspoken politician faced the wrath of the military and political parties due to his remarks about new army chief’s appointment.
Earlier this month, army’s media wing took a strong exception to the remarks by PTI Chairman Imran Khan regarding appointment of the new army chief, saying it was aghast at the defamatory and uncalled-for statement about the institution’s senior leadership.
Lately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif slammed Imran Khan for dragging the appointment of the new leader of the Pakistan Army into a controversy.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/13-Sep-2022/imran-khan-says-army-chief-should-be-given-extension-till-next-elections
The senior PML-N leader clarified that it’s the constitutional and legal authority of the government to appoint the army chief. The process of considering it has not even started yet, Khawaja clarified.
