Army to stay out of politics: Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa

Islamabad, October 5

Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has assured the nation that the armed forces had distanced themselves from politics and wanted to continue to do so, according to a media report on Wednesday.

General Bajwa, who is in the US, also reiterated his promise to leave the office after completing his second three-year term in November, adding that he would fulfill the pledge he made earlier.

The 61-year-old would retire on November 29. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said the new army chief will be appointed next month. Bajwa had been given an extension for a second term of three years in 2019. His remarks came at a lunch hosted at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington.

These remarks came in the wake of former premier Imran Khan making anti-military statements.

Bajwa has held the top post of the Pakistan army for six years. He was initially appointed in 2016, but after three years of tenure, the then government of Imran Khan in 2019 extended his service for another three years.

He called on US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jacob Sullivan and other top officials and discussed matters of mutual interest, regional security and bilateral cooperation in various fields.