Islamabad, 05 November (HS). The National Assembly of Pakistan has increased the tenure of the Army Chief from 03 years to 05 years by amending the relevant laws. In such a situation, the current Army Chief General Asim Munir will remain in office till 2027. Earlier his tenure was to end next year in 2025. Besides, the tenure of other senior commanders of Pakistani Army has also been extended.
Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif had proposed amendments to the Pakistan Army Act 1952 so that the tenure of service chiefs could be extended. Following this, the National Assembly on Monday approved a bill seeking amendments in laws related to all three branches of the armed forces. Speaker of the House Ayaz Sadiq passed this proposal. These amendments are intended to harmonize the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 and the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 regarding the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff and Chief of the Air Staff.
There was a huge uproar in the House regarding the proposal. MPs from former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposed this. He said that this law is not in the interest of the country. During this there was a lot of sloganeering. PTI Chairman Barrister Gauhar Ali Khan condemned the proposal and said that today democracy has turned into monarchy. Meanwhile, MP Omar Ayub said that passing the law without debate in the Parliament is actually like crushing it. He said that this is not good for both the country and the army.
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Hindusthan News / Prabhat Mishra
