Pakistan Reader# 402, 16 November 2022
Joel Jacob
On 15 November, COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul and Baloch Regimental Centre Abbottabad. COAS Bajwa laid a floral wreath at the Martyrs' Monument and offered fateha in the Kakul Centre. He also interacted with the cadets and officers of PMA. The ISPR in a statement said that the COAS appreciated the exceptionally high standards of the Pakistan Army’s premier training institution and its efforts towards grooming future leaders. He also paid rich tribute to their supreme sacrifices.
The debate over the new COAS
On 10 November, ISPR confirmed that COAS Bajwa would retire on 29 November on the completion of his six-year tenure. Defence minister Khwaja Asif rejected the speculations about the deadlock between leaders of PML-N and PPP and said the consultations on the army chief’s appointment will begin after 18 November. He further clarified that the consultation had not begun. He rejected the possibility of any favourites among the nominees of a new COAS. This statement comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned home after his extended stay in London where he was believed to have held closed-door consultations with the elder Sharif and other leaders on the appointment of a new army chief. The debate is also linked to the current political stalemate stemming from Imran Khan’s long march. Political observers opined that one of the objectives of Imran’s long march is to influence the army chief’s appointment though he has denied such claims.
The process of COAS appointment
The defence ministry sends a list of the top five generals to the Prime Minister’s Office for the appointment of chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Chief of Army Staff. The prime minister can ask for more names if he/she is not satisfied with the list.
Government considers amending the Pakistan Army Act 1952
The government is considering amending the Pakistan Army Act 1952 by which the Prime minister could retain a candidate through a simple notification, rather than having to go through a complex, constitutional process. In the current political climate, the development is being viewed as a critical one which may change the equation around the change of command expected in the military. The summary regarding these changes are to be introduced before the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC), following approval by the Ministry of Defence. The proposed legislation is then expected to be laid before parliament.
Meanwhile, in a recent plea filed in the Lahore High Court, the petition claimed that the current procedure of the army chief’s appointment was “unlawful and unconstitutional.” The petitioner requested the court to direct the respondents to appoint the senior-most persons as the army chief.
Probabilities in the appointment
According to Dawn, all five eligible senior officers of the armed forces are professional and have the ability to assume this responsibility. Amid the increasing question of the military’s involvement in political matters, political parties are keen to make the right decision. Both PML-N and PTI want less controversy and a chief who will “extricate himself” from the political and economic problems. The army does not want anyone who is politically aligned. (“COAS pays farewell visits to PMA Kakul, Baloch Regimental Centre,” The Express Tribune, 15 November 2022; “Process to appoint COAS to begin on Nov 18: Asif,” The Express Tribune, 16 November 2022; “LHC to hear plea for appointment of army chief on seniority basis,” The Express Tribune, 16 November 2022; Riazul Haq, “Legal tweak to allow PM to retain army officers with stroke of pen,” Dawn, 16 November 2022; Atika Rehman , “ANALYSIS: It’s not over till it’s over,” Dawn, 14 November 2022)
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