Government extends the tenure of armed forces chiefs
Pakistan’s parliament approved a series of bills in about 40 minutes, sparking a strong reaction from the main opposition party, which is led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The army chief of staff, who was supposed to leave next year, will thus remain in office until 2027. The number of justices on the Supreme Court has also been increased.
Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Pakistan's coalition government led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has adopted a series of legislative changes, extending the tenure of the chiefs of the armed forces from three to five years, and increasing the number of Supreme Court justices.
The approval process took place yesterday in raucous parliamentary sessions with protests by the opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Local media note that all the amendments were approved by the National Assembly and the Senate in 24 and 16 minutes respectively, without the possibility of debate and in the absence of both the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.
As a protest, some PTI lawmakers shouted slogans and tore up copies of the law. Former PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub, who is the official leader of the opposition in parliament, said that legislative activity without debate “is neither good for the country nor for the armed forces.”
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar replied noting that the extension of mandates could bring “stability and continuity of policies within the institutions.”
Pakistan has often been under military rule, and the country’s armed forces continue to play a prominent role in political life.
For some observers, Imran Khan, who has been in prison for over a year, was ousted from the post of prime minister in 2022 after losing the support of the military.
PTI lawmakers, despite a landslide victory in the legislative elections in February this year, have been marginalised thanks to an alliance between the country's two historic rivals, the Muslim League of Pakistan (PML) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
With the latest amendments to the Pakistan Army Act, a law that dates back to 1952, tenure for the heads of the armed forces will start on the day of appointment and the retirement age limit for generals at 64 will no longer be taken into account.
This way, the current army chief of staff, General Asim Munir, whose mandate would have expired next year, can remain in office until 2027.
Parliament also approved a series of laws increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court from 17 to a maximum of 34 and from nine to 12 on the Islamabad High Court.
Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar explained that this measure will reduce the backlog of pending cases, while for the opposition it is yet another attempt to counter Imran Khan’s popularity.
In a previous ruling, the Supreme Court had called for his release and even a UN commission of experts said that the former prime minister’s detention was illegal.
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