Imran proposes to extend tenure of Pak Army chief till next polls

Islamabad, Sep 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Pakistan Prime Minister and PTI chief, Imran Khan has proposed to extend the tenure of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa till the next elections.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Khan said that the appointment of an army chief should be deferred until the government is elected, which should then choose the new military head, Geo News reported.

Khan has been making headlines since his ouster in April because of his constant remarks regarding the army chief.

Earlier this month, while speaking during a public rally in Faisalabad, the PTI chairman had called out the government, saying that it was delaying the elections to appoint an army chief of its own and that if a "patriotic chief of army staff comes in, he will not spare the incumbent rulers", Geo News reported.

However, in a change of stance, the former premier said that he was ready to hold talks with the coalition government regarding snap polls.

Regarding the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) decision to indict him in a contempt of court case on September 22, Khan said that if the five-member bench hearing the case would have allowed him to say something, he would have apologised.

The court had last month taken notice of the former prime minister's speech at a public rally, where he allegedly threatened Islamabad additional sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry for extending PTI leader Shahbaz Gill's remand.

The PTI chief said that he regrets if something was misinterpreted and was ready to take back what he said during his public gathering.

"I could have said what they wanted if they had allowed me to speak," he said.

Khan, while taking a jibe at the coalition government's performance, said that the country will be stuck in a quagmire if the incumbent leaders' tenure is prolonged further.

Source: IANS