COAS appointment: Khawaja Asif makes new announcement

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed on Tuesday that the appointment of the new chief of army staff (COAS) will be made in next 24 hours, ARY News reported.

Khawaja Asif said in a statement that the summary for the recommended senior military officers will be sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif within a day and the appointment of the new COAS will be made in 24 hours.

He further said that the General Headquarters (GHQ) is currently possessing the authority to recommend the names of the senior military officers, however, all matters will be settled by Thursday.

Asif clarified that there is no civil-military tension regarding the key appointment. He added that the armed forces could play a role in politics in accordance with the law and Constitution. Asif said that as compared to the past, the armed forces became apolitical now.

READ: SUMMARY FOR KEY APPOINTMENT: SHAHID KHAQAN ABBASI TERMS DELAY ‘CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION’

The defence minister said that he and the outgoing COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa met on multiple occasions. He added that commenting on social media stories was an irresponsible act.

In another development today, PM Shehbaz Sharif has summoned the federal cabinet’s special session to discuss one-point agenda, sources told ARY News.

Sources told ARY News that a special session of the federal cabinet was summoned by PM Shehbaz Sharif to discuss a one-point agenda. It is expected that the matter related to the key appointment of the army chief will be discussed in the upcoming meeting.

Sources said that PM Sharif is expected to approve the appointment of the new army chief after holding consultations with the cabinet members.

Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that appointment of the new chief of army staff (COAS) will be made in the next two days, whether a summary comes or not.

This he said while talking to a private news channel. Rana Sanaullah said those who ruled the country for thirty to forty years directly or indirectly have now decided to remain “neutral”, which is a good omen.

He said that the appointment will be made in two days whether the summary comes or not, but why it is being assumed that the summary will not come, he asked.