General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), said on Friday that he will not seek another extension of his term, which expires on November 29. He stated that the army had decided to remove itself from the country’s politics.
These remarks were made at a session on security in Islamabad. According to journalists present at the workshop, the army chief stated that the armed forces had agreed to remain “apolitical.”
Gen Bajwa’s statement was made on the same day that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan from being a member of parliament after finding him guilty of misdeclaration in the Toshakhana reference.
This is not the first time Gen. Bajwa has addressed his extension and the army’s desire to remove itself from politics. During a visit to the United States earlier this month, when addressing at a lunch at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, he stated that he would not be seeking another extension of his term. During the meeting, Gen. Bajwa also stated that the military had detached itself from politics and intended to continue doing so.
Earlier in April, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar made it plain that neither Gen. Bajwa nor he would accept an extension.
ISPR made the allegation during a press briefing held days after Imran’s removal as prime minister due to a vote of no confidence. During that news conference, the chief of the military’s media wing asserted that the armed forces were “apolitical.”
These declarations from the army’s senior brass are in response to allegations that the military frequently favors one political party over another.
The selection of the new army chief is sometimes cited as one of the primary subplots in the country’s ongoing political crisis, which began this year with the tabling of a no-confidence resolution against then-prime minister Imran Khan.
It is commonly believed that tensions between the army and Imran’s party had deteriorated in the months preceding the vote of no-confidence, notably over the selection of the new Inter-Services Intelligence chief (ISI).
During his political rallies in the months following his removal, Imran openly criticized the army leadership for interfering in the country’s politics and urged them to remain “neutral.”
Imran stated that his criticism of the army was “constructive and intended for the army’s improvement.”
In September, the army had conveyed its disapproval of the PTI chief’s remarks, stating that it was “appalled by the slanderous and unwarranted” accusations made regarding its top leadership.
