Six generals in race, Pakistan's next army chief to be appointed by Nov 25

Islamabad, November 21

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that the process of appointment of the next army chief has started and would be completed by November 25, with five or six top generals in the race to succeed incumbent General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

“The process for appointment of the highest posts of army has started from today. By the grace of God, it will be completed soon, by fulfilling all constitutional requirements,” Asif tweeted.

Under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952, the ministry of defence (MoD) should issue the ‘discharge summary’ of the incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to pave the way for the appointment of his successor.

General Bajwa, 61, is scheduled to retire on November 29 after a three-year extension. He has ruled out seeking another extension.

Separately, in an informal talk with reporters in Islamabad, the defence minister said that a formal recommendation having the names of five or six top three-star generals would be sent by the defence ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The minister also said that there was no deadlock over the appointment of the army chief. “There is no deadlock. Once the summary is received, then a discussion will be held,” he said.