COAS appointment: Ali Muhammad Khan clarifies 'Imran Khan has no favourites'

ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan has asserted that party Chairman Imran Khan has no favourites for army chief’s position, ARY News reported.

“Imran Khan had said that he has no favourites for army chief’s position and he only wanted the appointment to be made on merit,” Ali Muhammad Khan said while speaking on ARY News programme 11th Hour.

“Imran Khan had expressed his displeasure over the incumbent government’s decision to consult with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif over the appointment,” the former federal minister added.

Regarding Tasneem Haider’s allegations against Nawaz Sharif, Ali Muhammad said if these allegations are proved true, the situation will turn towards wrong direction. “If these allegations are proved true, politics will turn into enmity,” he added.

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It is pertinent to mention here that the term of the incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will end on November 29.

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Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif urged the media to uphold the sanctity of army chief’s appointment and avoid making speculations in this regard.

Speaking on the National Assembly floor, the defence minister announced that the process of appointing a new army chief and joint chief of staff had begun and the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi had already been informed about it.

Khawaja Asif noted that his ministry has received the prime minister’s letter about initiating the process for the next army chief’s appointment. He hoped that this threshold of the appointment would be crossed in the next two to three days.