Change of command ceremony would be held on Nov 29
\n ISLAMABAD
\nDefence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the name of the new chief of army staff (COAS) would come out by Tuesday or Wednesday, The News reported Saturday.
\nSpeaking during the Geo News programme \u201cAaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath\u201d, the defence minister said that the process army chief\u2019s appointment will start on Monday.
\nDuring the show, the PML-N leader said that the change of command ceremony would be held on November 29. He said the long march would suffer a serious blow the day the appointment decision was made. COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the incumbent army chief, is set to retire later this month and he has ruled out an extension in his tenure \u2014 and so has the military.
\n\u2018Will implement PM\u2019s advice\u2019
\nA day earlier, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar called on President Dr Arif Alvi and conveyed to him a special message concerning the appointment of the new army chief and ending the deadlock on the country\u2019s constitutional matters. President Alvi also said that he will follow through with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s advice on the next army chief\u2019s appointment.
\nIn a conversation with his aides about the appointment of the new army chief, the president said he could not create hurdles in the much-anticipated process, sources told Geo News.
\n\u201cI do not have the legal authority to stop the prime minister\u2019s advice; I have never interfered in state affairs,\u201d President Alvi stressed. His statement came after PTI chief Imran Khan, who has time and again called for the appointment of the army chief on \u201cmerit\u201d, said his party will sit back and watch as the government decides to appoint the next army chief.
\nNext two days
\nMeanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the matter of the next army chief\u2019s appointment would be settled in a day or two. \u201cI believe the prime minister has completed this process (of consultation about the army chief appointment) and will bring it to paper, today or tomorrow or the next two days, [it] takes no time,\u201d he said. \u201cI will also request you that this is a matter of a day or two so don\u2019t ask questions which can lead to unnecessary speculation,\u201d adding there \u201cis not a lot of time left to this decision and it will come before you,\u201d said the interior minister. <\/p>\n
Sanaullah said that a further delay in the matter would not be \u201cappropriate\u201d and the next army chief would be appointed in the next two days.<\/p>\n
The interior minister also alleged that the purpose of PTI\u2019s march to Islamabad was the army chief\u2019s appointment, rather than snap elections. \u201cThe long march is not really present anywhere \u2014 it\u2019s only in the media,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In response, PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the president would fulfil his constitutional duty when it comes to the crucial appointment. \u201cLet me make it clear, whatever the president decides, it will have Imran Khan\u2019s complete support,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Change of command ceremony would be held on Nov 29 ISLAMABAD Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the name of the new chief of army staff (COAS) would come out by Tuesday or Wednesday, The News reported Saturday. Speaking during the Geo News programme \u201cAaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath\u201d, the defence minister said that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-296218","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n