By Hamza Ameer Islamabad 17 August : With both political and economic issues that keep the coalition government of Pakistan active, the moment is getting closer to making what could be one of the most difficult decisions of its time.
The appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is one of the most difficult tasks for the current administration as it must choose from four candidates suggested by the establishment of the military.
The sources inside Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) have already suggested closed-door discussions regarding the appointment at the close of August, and possibly a decision on the appointment in the middle of September 2022.
In accordance with article 2343 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan the president is the one who appoints the functions of chiefs upon advice of the prime minister.
Schedule V-A of the Rules of Business, which defines the cases that must be submitted to the prime minister for approval, states that “the appointment of those above the grade of lieutenant general in the army, and the equivalent rank in the other Defence Services will be made by the prime minister in consultation with the president”.
Although the rules could be an alternate approach, the norm and standard procedure in Pakistan differs.
According to custom according to the tradition, the General Headquarters (GHQ) sends an inventory of the four-five most senior lieutenant generals, together with their personal documents to the Ministry of Defence, which then forwards them to the office of the prime minister to choose the officer most suitable for the job.
Although the Ministry of Defence has the authority to review these recommendations, it usually doesn’t even bother to ask questions about the GHQ recommendations, and then forwards the same to the office of the Prime Minister.
The selection of the next Army Chief is more than been a nightmare for the PMLN government since Sharifs haven’t been successful in achieving their goals and have suffered the consequences in the past with military takeovers.
The current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa is scheduled to leave the COAS in the final week of November.
The appointment was to last for three years.But, Bajwa was given an additional three-year extension in 2019 by the in power government of Imran Khan.
General Bajwa and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has denied any speculation that he could be extended for another time in a clear statement that Bajwa is set to retire in November.
The names of the next Army chief are of the same batch, and the seniority of the group is determined on a technical basis.The names are Lt.General Asim Munir Lt.General Sahir Shamshad Mirza Lt.General Azhar Abbas Lt.General Nauman Mehmood Lt.General Faiz Hameed, and Lt.General Mohammad Amir.
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