Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s office has again confirmed the three-year extension given to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa recently, saying a notification pertaining to the extension in the general’s tenure has already been issued on August 19, Pakistan Today reported.
According to the details, the statement came after a meeting between PM Imran and Gen Bajwa amid reports of an alleged rift between the civilian government and the military establishment. This was the second meeting of the two bigwigs in a week.
During this meeting, the top leaders discussed matters pertaining to national security, said the statement issued by the PM House.
In the earlier meeting, Gen Bajwa met Imran in an apparent attempt to allay the latter’s concerns over the recent political developments in the country. The statement further said that the two sides discussed the prevailing situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) and at the western border, and internal security issues were discussed.
The PM’s meeting with the army chief was followed by a meeting with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed on Tuesday.
However, media reports dub these meeting as an attempt to assuage Imran’s concerns by the military. “The government and army are not on the same page due to disagreement on certain points, especially the exit of former PM Nawaz Sharif from the country on health grounds,” reports had earlier stated.
After these statements, military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor refuted claims of an alleged divide between the country’s civilian and military leadership, reiterating that both sides are on the same page.
“This is baseless gossip. There is absolutely nothing of the sort,” said ISPR director general as he dismissed speculations of a rift.
“The army is supporting a democratically elected government as per the constitution. There will be no let-up in this [support] as it is a must for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan”, he added.
