The suggestion of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the choice of the new army chief would be carried out, according to President Arif Alvi.
The president stated that he could not put obstacles in the eagerly awaited process of choosing the new COAS in a chat with his advisors.
President Alvi, a PTI leader, insisted, “I do not have the legal right to stop the prime minister’s suggestion; I have never intervened in the affairs of the state.”
The announcement follows PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s declaration that his party would be content to wait while the government chooses the new army leader. Khan has repeatedly urged for the selection of the army chief to be based on “merit.”
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the current army head, is scheduled to retire later this month and has ruled out an extension of his term.
Fawad Chaudhry, vice president of the PTI, responded by stating that the president would fulfil his constitutional obligation with regard to the significant appointment.
“Let me make it clear, whatever the president decides, it will have Imran Khan’s complete support,” he added.
