Pak PM Sharif Will Appoint New Army Chief In Nov: Def Minister Asif

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will appoint the new army chief in November, said Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.

Days before, former prime minister Imran Khan had said that the new government should appoint the next chief of army staff after the election.

Asif claimed that the constitution made explicit the procedure for appointing the Army commander, but Khan is attempting to make a ruckus. No one had any doubts about the army chief's loyalty to the constitution and the institutions. 

He added, "Imran Khan wants to make the Army chief's nomination problematic, but politics and institutions should not be brought into conflict.”

Earlier, Khan claimed that the current administration is incompetent in choosing the new Army chief and that the decision should be left until after the new government forms after the election.

After serving two three-year terms, the current army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, will retire at the end of November. 

The PM Sharif will select his replacement from among the senior sitting lieutenant generals.