Army chief Bajwa says retiring after 5 weeks, not seeking extension

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that he is retiring in the next five weeks and will not be seeking an extension in service, Dawn newspaper reported.

Bajwa, addressing the 24th National Security Workshop at the National Defence University (NDU) on Friday, said he would also not accept another extension to his service tenure.

General Bajwa is set to retire in the last week of November after holding the top post for six years. After an initial appointment in 2016 for a three years tenure, his service was extended for another three years in 2019 by the then government of Imran Khan.

The military leader also said the armed forces have distanced themselves from politics and will continue to do so.

Since February 2021 the military had completely detached itself from politics and that it had not given any “political guarantee” to anyone nor had it given an “NRO” to any politician, Bajwa said.

The retirement of general Bajwa and the upcoming appointment of a new army chief has been in the headlines for quite some time for all the wrong reasons.

In September, former prime minister Imran Khan said that Bajwa should be given another extension until the new government is elected while reiterating calls for early elections. When Khan was in power, the opposition accused him of trying to bring an army chief of his choice who could support his alleged agenda of victimizing opposition leaders.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would pick the new army chief after Bajwa’s term ends in late November.

A statement issued by the military’s media wing after the event, however, did not mention Bajwa’s retirement remarks.

“While talking to participants, [the] COAS spoke on various challenges to national security and response measures. [The] COAS said that national cohesion and unified response to guard and promote Pakistan’s national interests is imperative for progress,” the ISPR statement said.

“Pakistan has faced many challenges but came out stronger every time. Our fight against terrorism is one such example which only succeeded due to the whole of the nation approach,” the statement quoted Bajwa as saying. “Peace and stability can only be achieved if rule of law and the state’s writ is established.”