Younas Khan tells the background story of behind-the-scenes maneuvering regarding the appointment of the army chief. Did Nawaz Sharif play a role? Why was the summary delayed?
Before General Asim Munir was nominated as the new chief of the Pakistan Army, various questions regarding the army chief’s appointment were discussed on social media. For the last several days, there has been a discussion in the media about the same question who will be the next army chief of the Pakistani army, and when will the ongoing dispute about the final decision in this regard end. If one examines Pakistani politics, the amount of politics that has taken place over this appointment and the extent to which intense public debate has taken place regarding this appointment is unprecedented.
Perhaps this was the first time that a former prime minister’s appointment of the army chief was made a topic of discussion in public meetings. Although not much time is required for an appointment to this important post, the government had given different dates without giving reasons on this matter. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif gave dates for the start and completion of this process several times, which has led to questions about why it was taking so long.
Meanwhile, some incidents gave the impression that the political and military deployments were not on the same page. This impression was reinforced after the statements of the government and the opposition. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah stated that the Prime Minister can make an announcement even if the summary is not received.
Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that it is vital that the Army Chief’s summary should come soon and the Prime Minister should take a decision on it soon. Talking to a private TV, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the absence of a summary of the appointment of the Army Chief is a violation of the constitution, while it is wrong not to include the name of an eligible person in the list of names or to include the name of an ineligible person. This matter can be challenged in court.
While holding a press conference, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned President Arif Alvi and said there should be no delay in the appointment of the Army Chief; otherwise, the consequences will have to be borne.
The only thing being said in Imran Khan’s support circles was that Asim Munir should not be made the Army Chief. Imran Khan had also said on one occasion that the current army chief’s tenure should be extended until the general elections were held so that the new government could appoint the new army chief.
All these statements reinforced the impression that the military and political figures are not on the same page regarding the deployment. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was on a visit to Egypt to attend a climate change conference from where he left for London on a private flight on Wednesday. Shahbaz Sharif’s visit to London was not pre-planned but suddenly and at the last minute. Sources say that this visit was also done in an emergency after receiving an important message from Islamabad regarding the deployment.
In this message, the government was requested that in the current situation, either the term of the current army chief should be extended or General Azhar Abbas should be appointed as the new army chief. In the meeting of the Mian brothers in London, Mian Nawaz Sharif convinced Prime Minister Nawaz Shahbaz Sharif that the army chief’s tenure should not be extended. Nawaz Sharif had a lot of reservations regarding General Bajwa and considered him responsible for the current crisis in the country.
Therefore, they agreed on the name of Lt. Gen. Asim Munir based on seniority. After this, a clear message was given by the government to the military leadership while the government alliances supported the government on this stand. Afterward, the government received a summary of 6 names from GHQ regarding the appointment of the new Army Chief and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The names of Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas, Lt. Gen. Nauman Mehmood, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed and Lt. Gen. Mohammad Amir were included in the summary.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Lt. Gen. Asim Munir, ranked first in the list of senior lieutenant generals, as the Army Chief, while Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad, who is ranked second, was appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. President Dr. Arif Alvi also signed this summary after meeting former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Thus, General Asim Munir has become the 17th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army. He will take charge of his post from the current Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, on November 29.
Two important news came after the appointment of the Army Chief. The first news is that the Pakistan Army’s Chief of General Staff (CGS), Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas, has decided to retire prematurely. Immediately after that, the news came that Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed had also decided to retire prematurely.
Let me remind you that these two generals were not superseded. Time will tell whether these generals resigned themselves or were persuaded by them. But it became clear that the government and the military leadership were not on the same page regarding the appointment.
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