SC directed AGP Khan to submit the extension notifications of previous army chiefs
ISLAMABAD: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Nov 28th, 2019) The Supreme Court seized with the hearing of the matter related to tenure extension of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa sought extension notification issued for former army chief Gen (retired) Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Gen (retired) Raheel Sharif’s retirement.
During the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa asked AGP Anwar Mansoor Khan that under what section Gen (retired) Kayani was granted an extension. “Under what section General (retired) Kayani was given extension,” the CJP asked while observing that they wanted to see what pension and perks Gen Kayani got after his retirement.
Arguing on the matter, AGP said that the generals never retire on which the CJP asked him that if they never retire then what about their pension and sought him to provide the rule under which former Army Chief General Raheel got retired. “You say that generals never retire then tell us how they are entitled for the pension,”.
“The court will examine the grounds the basis of which the former army chief Gen (retired) Kayani was granted an extension. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the member of three-member bench, observed that the law was silent about three-year tenure. “No one bothered to examine the law while extensions were continuously were being granted all these years,” the CJP remarked. He also remarked that there was no check on the activities inside cantonment or how the actions are being taken,”. The CJP said that now constitutional institution was looking at this matter and observed that the appointment process on a constitutional post should be clear.
Meanwhile, Justice Shah pointed out that the summary neither mentioned the salary and perks of an army chief. “AGP himself is reading army laws for the first time,” he remarked. The CJP said that it was there right to ask question and regretted that they were labeled as agents of India and CIA when they were busy in examining the Army Act yesterday. The AGP told the supreme court that yesterday’s arguments gave a lot of advantage to India. At this, the CJP remarked that it was their right to ask questions. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, however, asked the AGP to come up with his suggestion as how laws regarding the army could be fixed.
It may be mentioned here that for the first time in the country's history extension of any army chief is being openly discussed. During the last two decades, General (retired) Raheel Sharif was the only army chief who got retired on his due date. However, Gen Kayani was given extension for another term by the PPP in 2010.
