With hearing of the case pertaining to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension resuming Thursday, the Supreme Court (SC) has once again put the government in a tight spot as it asked “if a better general would be given a 20-year extension”.
“You’re seeking a three-year extension for now. If another general, who is exceptional, comes next, will you give him a 20-year extension?” journalist Omar Qureshi quoted the three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, as asking the government representatives.
Earlier, the bench resumed hearing the petition challenging the extension of COAS Gen Bajwa. As proceedings continued, the CJP asked Attorney General (AG) Anwar Mansoor Khan to present the notifications regarding the extension in the tenure of former army chief Gen (r) Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and retirement of Gen Raheel Sharif.
“We were told yesterday that generals never retire,” remarked CJP Khosa.
The AG informed the court that Gen Bajwa had been reappointed under Article 243, to which the CJP remarked that the government had to convince the court that it was legal.
The SC then reserved the verdict that will be announced later in the day by a 10-member full court.
On Wednesday night, the federal government, aided by the military’s counsel, drafted a new summary removing all legal lacunas pointed out by the apex court earlier in the day.
The paperwork was completed with the assistance, for the first time, of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch of the General Headquarters (GHQ), according to The News.
Those privy to the developments told the publication that input from the JAG Branch was sought by the ministry concerned, which had till then failed to produce the required documents and after the SC highlighted serious errors in the drafts presented in court.
The fresh summary was inked by midnight and has replaced the words “re-appointment” with “extension in service”. Once finalised, the summary was sent to the federal cabinet through a circulation process late on Wednesday night and then submitted to the president, who issued the requisite notification.
