Pak govt to ‘take on’ Imran after army chief’s selection process wraps up

Speaking in the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said his Ministry had received the premier’s letter, asking for the initiation of the appointment process on Monday, which had been forwarded to the General Headquarters, reports Dawn news.

He said the summary, along with the service dossiers of the senior-most lieutenant generals proposed for elevation and appointment as chief of army staff and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, was likely to be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office within two days.

Speaking on a point of order, he said it was possible that the process of the army chief’s appointment would be completed in two to three days, Dawn reported.

Blaming the media for giving the matter too much hype, Asif said: “The media itself in a state of confusion�. I request them from the floor of this house to maintain the sanctity of the process.”

The Defence Minister believed that the commotion being witnessed in the political domain would fizzle out once a new army chief was appointed, after which they would “take on” the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman, who has called on his supporters to hold a sit-in in Rawalpindi on Saturday, Dawn reported.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Bajwa is retiring on November 29, while Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Nadeem Raza would retire on November 27.