Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has delivered a blow to that nation’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s dream of remaining in office for another three more years. The apex court suspended a government notification that gave extension to the Army Chief after his term expires on 29 November this year.
The court said that out of 25 members of the Imran Khan’s Cabinet, only 11 members had approved General Bajwa’s tenure and thus it doesn’t constitute a majority. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court also said that only the President has the right to extend the Army Chief’s tenure.
Imran Khan’s cabinet had approved the extension of the General in August of this year. He was granted three more years in office.
General Bajwa was seen as a powerful force in the country superseding the civilian government. Recently, it was rumoured that the General was unhappy with Imran Khan’s performance as the Prime Minister of the country and was seeking to replace him.
The General also came under scrutiny from the media when he was found meeting with top industrialists and businessmen in the country. Imran Khan’s absence in the meeting was widely discussed and the General Bajwa’s move was criticized for being a threat to democracy.
