Imran Khan denies talking about granting extension to Army chief Gen Bajwa

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday denied talking about granting an extension to Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, saying he had just proposed to defer the appointment of the new army chief till elections.

On Monday, Khan had told a TV channel in an interview that the tenure of the army chief should be extended until his successor is appointed by the new government after elections.

"I never talked about the extension of the army chief's tenure. I just proposed to defer the appointment of the army chief till elections," Khan told reporters at his Banigala residence in the suburbs of capital Islamabad.

He said that a new government should decide on the new army chief.

In his meeting with reporters, the former premier said that the newly-elected government should decide the army chief's selection on merit, adding that he never said who should be the military's head.

"I never said who should be the army chief. I always stressed for an army chief's appointment to be done on merit. A chief justice should also be appointed on merit," he said.

He also said that the two families (Sharif and Zardari families) should never select the head of the armed forces.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz controlled by the Sharif family of Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People's Party headed by Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are the major allies in the current government.

Army chief Gen Bajwa would retire on November 29 and his successor would be announced by the prime minister who is legally authorized to appoint the army chief.

Bajwa has held the top post of the Pakistan Army for six years. He was initially appointed in 2016, but after three years tenure, the then government of Imran Khan in 2019 extended his service for another three years.

The appointment of army chief is the sole prerogative of the prime minister. The upcoming appointment of a new army chief is in the headlines for all wrong reasons.

When Khan was in power, the opposition accused him of trying to bring an army chief of his choice, who could support his alleged agenda of victimising opposition leaders.

Since he lost power, the equation has changed and now Khan is saying that the coalition government wants to install an army head of its choice to protect looted wealth and steal general elections.

Whatever the political meaning of the rival rhetoric, the fact is that an army chief is seldom a silent spectator of the political games in the country.

The powerful army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.

Addressing a public rally in Faisalabad earlier this month, Khan had alleged that the government was afraid of fair elections and delaying the polls until the appointment of the new army chief by the end of November when the incumbent Gen Bajwa would retire.

"(Asif Ali) Zardari and Nawaz (Sharif) want to bring their favourite as the next army chief because they have stolen public money," Khan alleged. "They are afraid that when the patriotic army chief comes, he will ask them about their loot."

Strongly objecting his remarks, the army issued a statement in which it accused him of making an attempt to discredit and undermine senior leadership of Pakistan Army at a time when the institution is laying lives for the security and safety of the people.

"Pakistan Army is aghast at the defamatory and uncalled for statement about the senior leadership of Pakistan Army by Chairman PTI during a political rally at Faisalabad, it said.