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Govt woos Gen Raheel with extension offer, army chief reluctant
Sources say govt has offered COAS either to accept extension in service or assumed post of CJCSC with extra power of army chief
Govt sources say Gen Raheel’s leadership vital for campaign against terrorism
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has informally made a ‘lucrative offer’ to the Army General Headquarters (GHQ) regarding an extension in the term of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, who is set to retire in November this year, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.
However, government sources privy to the informal talks taking place between PM House and GHQ say Gen Raheel is reluctant to accept the ‘offer’.
According to sources, three top aides of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif – are in contact with the GHQ in a bid to ‘persuade’ the COAS to accept the extension in his term “because the government wanted to ensure continuity of the anti-terrorism policy spearheaded by Gen Raheel”.
“The prime minister wants a future role for the COAS. Three options are currently on the table – an extension in Gen Raheel’s tenure as COAS; or appointment as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) with additional powers of the COAS also possibly residing with this position,” the source added.
Asked why an idea was floated to elevate the army chief as CJCSC, the source said that it would not affect the seniority and promotions of other army officials.
“This would keep the promotion process smooth. Moreover, it would also help reform the institution,” the source added.
“We are ready to offer any timeline appropriate to take Operation Zarb-e-Azb to its logical conclusion. We might offer a two-year or even a three-year extension to Gen Raheel so that he can wipe out terrorism from Pakistan,” the source said.
He said that another option was for the COAS to play a role like Gen (r) Jahangir Karamat under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998, when Gen Karamat fully supported the constitutional powers of the civilian prime minister.
“We want General Raheel to continue serving the cause of Pakistan as his predecessor Gen Karamat did by strictly following a professional approach and respecting the mandate of the elected leadership,” the source added.
The media wing of the armed forces, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), did not offer any comments on the information.
GENERAL EXTENTIONS:
The statutory provision of extensions even in civil bureaucracy is supposed to be used sparingly and only under extraordinary circumstances.
If Gen Raheel Sharif accepts an extension, he would become the third consecutive army chief to receive an extension. His predecessors, Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Gen Pervez Musharraf, had also received extensions in their three-year tenures.
Field Marshal Ayub Khan and Gen Ziaul Haq received the most extensions – three each. Gen Musa Khan, Gen Yahya Khan and Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani all received one extension each while Gen Musharraf took extensions twice.
Sources said that the idea to empower the CJCSC with additional powers of the COAS was actually floated by former army chief General Jahangir Karamat in 1998 with an objective to create a balance in powers and for smooth functioning of the armed forces.
General Aslam Baig also wanted to assume this office but could not do so. General Kakar also failed in securing the position. After Gen Karamat’s premature ouster, Gen Pervez Musharraf was first COAS to assume both offices and hence became a very strong army chief in the year 1999.
Musharraf’s growing power started causing uneasiness in the Prime Minister’s House and resulted in tensions with the GHQ. It was then that Nawaz Sharif’s late father, Mian Sharif invited the army chief for dinner at the Sharifs’ private estate in Raiwind and assured him that Nawaz and his younger brother Shehbaz would always stand beside him and that he should not have any qualms about them.
Sources say govt has offered COAS either to accept extension in service or assumed post of CJCSC with extra power of army chief
Govt sources say Gen Raheel’s leadership vital for campaign against terrorism
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has informally made a ‘lucrative offer’ to the Army General Headquarters (GHQ) regarding an extension in the term of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, who is set to retire in November this year, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.
However, government sources privy to the informal talks taking place between PM House and GHQ say Gen Raheel is reluctant to accept the ‘offer’.
According to sources, three top aides of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif – are in contact with the GHQ in a bid to ‘persuade’ the COAS to accept the extension in his term “because the government wanted to ensure continuity of the anti-terrorism policy spearheaded by Gen Raheel”.
“The prime minister wants a future role for the COAS. Three options are currently on the table – an extension in Gen Raheel’s tenure as COAS; or appointment as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) with additional powers of the COAS also possibly residing with this position,” the source added.
Asked why an idea was floated to elevate the army chief as CJCSC, the source said that it would not affect the seniority and promotions of other army officials.
“This would keep the promotion process smooth. Moreover, it would also help reform the institution,” the source added.
“We are ready to offer any timeline appropriate to take Operation Zarb-e-Azb to its logical conclusion. We might offer a two-year or even a three-year extension to Gen Raheel so that he can wipe out terrorism from Pakistan,” the source said.
He said that another option was for the COAS to play a role like Gen (r) Jahangir Karamat under Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998, when Gen Karamat fully supported the constitutional powers of the civilian prime minister.
“We want General Raheel to continue serving the cause of Pakistan as his predecessor Gen Karamat did by strictly following a professional approach and respecting the mandate of the elected leadership,” the source added.
The media wing of the armed forces, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), did not offer any comments on the information.
GENERAL EXTENTIONS:
The statutory provision of extensions even in civil bureaucracy is supposed to be used sparingly and only under extraordinary circumstances.
If Gen Raheel Sharif accepts an extension, he would become the third consecutive army chief to receive an extension. His predecessors, Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Gen Pervez Musharraf, had also received extensions in their three-year tenures.
Field Marshal Ayub Khan and Gen Ziaul Haq received the most extensions – three each. Gen Musa Khan, Gen Yahya Khan and Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani all received one extension each while Gen Musharraf took extensions twice.
Sources said that the idea to empower the CJCSC with additional powers of the COAS was actually floated by former army chief General Jahangir Karamat in 1998 with an objective to create a balance in powers and for smooth functioning of the armed forces.
General Aslam Baig also wanted to assume this office but could not do so. General Kakar also failed in securing the position. After Gen Karamat’s premature ouster, Gen Pervez Musharraf was first COAS to assume both offices and hence became a very strong army chief in the year 1999.
Musharraf’s growing power started causing uneasiness in the Prime Minister’s House and resulted in tensions with the GHQ. It was then that Nawaz Sharif’s late father, Mian Sharif invited the army chief for dinner at the Sharifs’ private estate in Raiwind and assured him that Nawaz and his younger brother Shehbaz would always stand beside him and that he should not have any qualms about them.
Comment on the argument if you wish, if the argument does not merit a response then ignore it. Ad hominems are truly a despicable thing to resort to
