PPP defends ex-COAS’ 2019 extension

A PPP leader defended the PTI government’s decision to extend former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure at the end of his first three-year tenure in 2019.

PPP General Secretary Nayyar Bokhari, while speaking to a private TV news channel, elaborated that his party believed that the situation in the country at that time called for an extension in the ex-army chief’s tenure.

The PPP leader spoke on the matter when asked about his party being a part of the legislation that made the ex-army chief’s extension possible.

He pointed out that the PPP had also given an extension to another army chief in the past.

Bokhari said in his personal opinion, the country’s chief executive was authorised to extend an army chief’s tenure and legislation was not required for this purpose.

Gen Qamar was given a three-year extension in November 2019 by PTI chairman and then premier Imran Khan, citing regional security environment challenges.

The extension in service became controversial when it was challenged before the Supreme Court.

The apex court had given parliament six months to amend the Army Act to allow room for extension.

The amendment bill was unanimously passed by parliament with the support of current ruling parties.

Contrary to the move it made in 2019, the PTI has been in recent times regretting the extension of the former army chief.

Speaking to a private TV news channel earlier this month, PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said his party’s decision to extend the former chief of army staff's (COAS) tenure in 2019 was a “mistake”.

“Everyone [in the PTI ranks] is realising that it was a mistake to grant him [Gen Qamar] an extension,” he added, saying that the party regretted its move.

Later, even Imran conceded that he had made a mistake by extending the tenure of the former COAS.

“Gen (retd) Qamar has proven to be worse than an enemy,” he told a journalist.

“He damaged Pakistan with his policies,” the deposed premier added.

He claimed that the ex-army chief had lied to him about the accountability drive.

“I kept asking him [Gen (retd) Qamar] for three long years regarding the slow pace of the accountability drive, however, he kept assuring me that these cases would culminate soon,” he maintained.

“It was after one-and-a-half years that I met a NAB [National Accountability Bureau] official, who told me that it was Qamar who had instructed to stall the cases and opt for a go-slow policy,” he added.