Army chief regrets accepting earlier extension, sources
ISLAMABAD (Umar Cheema) Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has started his farewell meetings while all speculations regarding his extension in office have died down. It is also expected to reduce the political uncertainty that was likely to increase as a result of such a decision.
There were reports that the government and the army chief's common allies wanted the army chief to be extended but the proposal did not find strong support from either side. A source close to the army chief has vehemently denied the impression that he wants to continue in his job.
On the contrary, General Bajwa started a series of farewell meetings from November 1, which meant he had no plans for an extension, the source said. According to an ISPR press release, last Wednesday he visited Peshawar Corps after which he also visited Sialkot and Mangal Garrison on Thursday.
He not only met the officers but also addressed them. He appreciated the excellent performance of the formations during various operations and training and calamities. General Bajwa has said several times that he will not take the extension, especially during backstage discussions with journalists and political leaders.
Recently, while talking to senior journalists at the National Defense University, he said that he will retire on the scheduled date of November 29. He took the same stand during the conversation with other visitors. A visitor said that the Army Chief regretted accepting the previous extension that the Imran Khan government had given him in 2019.
Imran Khan had talked about giving another extension to General Bajwa on the occasion of presenting the motion of no confidence in February this year. However, he declined the offer. This was disclosed by DGISI Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum during his press conference last month.
Even Imran Khan did not deny this. This situation was further confirmed by the fact that General Bajwa expressed his reluctance to act even while talking to the leaders of friendly countries, even though he knew that these countries could prove effective if lobbied for expansion. are
A source told The News that recently when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was on a visit to Saudi Arabia, he came to know about this as the topic of change of command in Pakistan Army was also discussed in the discussion. Recently, when the common friends talked about giving extension to General Bajwa, even then it was not clear why these friends did it and on whose behalf they did it.
General Bajwa was appointed as the Army Chief on November 20, 2016 by the then Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Prime Minister Imran Khan extended his government for three years. If Caretaker Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk is also included, five Prime Ministers changed during this period.
اسلام آباد چیف آف آرمی اسٹاف جنرل قمر جاوید...
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will cheema get the Arshad Sharif treatment?