Pak govt, Oppn on same page over Army chief Gen Bajwa's extension

Islamabad: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and the Opposition parties have reached a rare agreement over the proposed amendments to the Army Act to fix the tenure and extension of service of Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, a media report said on Friday.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had extended 59-year-old Gen Bajwa's tenure through a notification on August 19. However, the Supreme Court in November suspended the government order, citing irregularities in the manner the army chief, a close confidant of Khan, was granted an extension.

On Wednesday, at an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, presided over by Prime Minister Khan, approved amendments to the Army Act, nearly four weeks after it assured the Supreme Court of passing a legislation on the extension and reappointment of an Army chief within six months.

A rare consensus was reached on Thursday, a day before tabling the bill in Parliament to give a three-year extension to Chief of the Army Staff General Bajwa, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The legislation, titled Pak is tan Army (Amend ment) Act-2020, will fix 64 years as the maximum age limit of the three services chiefs and the chairman of the joint chief of staff committee, with the prime minister having the prerogative to give extension to any of them in future after completion of their normal tenure at the age of 60 years and the President having the power to give the final nod.

The main opposition Pak istan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) assured the government of its "unconditional" support to the bill, but the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) cautioned the government against haste in the matter to ensure proper and sagacious legislation thro ugh Parliament, the report said.

Leaders of the ruling government are confident that the bill will be passed by parliament with the required simple majority on Friday, days after the sessions of the Senate and the National Assembly were convened on a 24-hour notice.

Law Minister Farogh Naseem told reporters in the Parliament House that all parties and stakeholders were on the same page regarding the passage of the bill.

The PML-N has come under severe criticism as its senior leader Khawaja Asif said the support was given on the directives of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been given bail toget medical treatment in London.