This will also help PM Sharif to assert his constitutional powers
LAHORE: The incumbent chief of army staff is due to retire on November 29 and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will have to pick one from the top four army generals. Appointment of the new army chief is an important milestone in civil-military relations and extreme caution is needed in this regard. In the past, civilian leaders have bypassed the system of military hierarchy in order to choose the army chief of their own liking, ignoring the senior ones. This practice leads to discontent among military ranks and causes tension in an already complicated relationship between civilian and military leadership.
The last time an army chief retired after serving out the specified three-year term was two decades ago. The precedent set by making sure General Raheel Sharif steps down as scheduled and is replaced by a deserving senior general would be a small step in the right direction. This will also help PM Sharif to assert his constitutional powers in a way that strengthens democracy and sends a positive message to the public.
Muhammad Bilal
Published in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2016.
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