General Bajwa should remain army chief till elections, reiterates Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has said the government backed by people’s mandate should pick the new army chief, not those who brought in an illicit government, adding that the current COAS should continue till elections.

Ousted from government last April, the former premier remained confident of his party sweeping next elections during an interview with Aaj News and Business Recorder on Saturday.

 “The government that has the people’s mandate should decide the army chief – not those who brought in an illicit government,” Imran Khan said. “I don’t consider that a mandate. So, the current COAS should continue.”

The COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s term ends on November 29, therefore timing is important for the PTI leader because the government must select a new army chief in less than a month. The next army chief will be chosen by whoever is in charge, whether that be the current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, or a new PM.

A caretaker administration would take charge if general elections were called. However, a caretaker administration cannot appoint a COAS, according to Imran Khan. This would indicate that the incumbent army leader would require an extension. Although Imran Khan claimed he wasn’t a lawyer, possibly the law has a remedy for this.

 “The priority is elections,” the PTI chairman continued “In the interim you have a caretaker government. It can’t appoint an army chief. So as soon as you have an election and have an elected government, they pick an army chief.”

It should be noted that the current COAS Bajwa was appointed in 2016 and his tenure was supposed to last till 2019. PTI granted him an extension, and that runs out in 2022.

Imran Khan is convinced that achieving political stability is the best way to deal with economic turmoil. However, such is not feasible under the new administration that replaced him. “This administration is powerless. It’s weak, the IMF says,” he remarked. Thus, this administration will be overthrown when the Establishment so decides.

Imran Khan claimed that the Establishment put crooked individuals in power (the PML-N), and now had to decide whether to let them go free. Will it allow these offenders to get away with their crimes? Will it therefore permit a fugitive in another country to be named Pakistan’s army chief?

Are they waiting for the cases to be ended, so that a man who never chosen an army chief based on merit chooses the new army chief? Should a civilized society entrust a criminal with deciding the fate of its national security?

Regarding the question of going back to the National Assembly, Imran Khan said “Going back to the NA means we accept a foreign conspiracy that brought our government down. Our return will signify our acceptance of this ‘crime minister’ and this imported set-up. Going back is not an option, therefore.”

The former PM argued that if PTI was sitting in NA, they would have legitimized the current set up.