The PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan‘s suggestion that COAS Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa’s retirement to postpone until new general elections were called and a new administration was formed, was rejected by the government on Tuesday.
The nomination of the army chief was being discussed, according to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, “prematurely.”
The minister claimed on Twitter that Imran had become so consumed by his desire for power that he was connecting the election and politics to the selection of the army chief.
Asif continued by saying that the current administration would decide how to handle this obligation at the appropriate moment while keeping in mind the Constitution’s and the institution’s best traditions.
“Important national decisions are not subject to political interests,” he said.
Speaking to a private TV news channel, Asif asserted that the PTI leader was using a “plot” to make the selection of the COAS problematic.
The current army chief’s retirement is still two and a half months away, the minister continued.
Asif argued further that discussing the topic at this time was not in the national interest.
He continued by saying that it was also not in the military’s best interest to involve its commander, who was in charge of the nation’s defence, in politics.
The minister added that while the PTI chairman was eager to engage in talks with the establishment, he was also targeting it on the one hand.
“Imran Khan wants to get power at all costs, it shows his mental and political backwardness,” Asif added.
Separately, the PTI leader reaffirmed his plea for fresh elections while speaking to journalists in Islamabad.
The date and notification of the upcoming imminent elections, he continued, would determine whether the army chief’s term would be extended.
He insisted that a select few had compromised the nation’s security in order to further their personal agendas.
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