Pak Army Chief says won’t seek term extension

Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif on Monday announced he would retire later this year — laying to rest speculation about seeking extension in service.

The powerful general is due to end his three-year tenure in November and his stepping down would test Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif again over appointment of a new Army Chief from among the qualified generals. The incumbent Army Chief is widely credited with bringing a semblance of security back to the insurgency-plagued country.

Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa quoted Gen. Sharif as telling a military meeting that he will not seek extension in service. “Pakistan Army is a great institution, I don’t believe in extension and will retire on the due date,” the top general said. “Efforts to (root) out terrorism will continue with full vigour and resolve. Pakistan’s nat-ional interest is supreme and will be safe guarded at all costs,” he added. Gen. Sharif was named Chief of Army Staff in 2013, when his predecessor General Ashfaq Kayani s term — which had been extended by three years — came to an end.

Former military leaders Pervez Musharraf and Zia-ul Haq also extended their own rule during their time in power. Under Gen. Sharif, the Pakistani military launched an offensive in the tribal areas in June 2014, where militants had previously operated with impunity.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a petition seeking three-year extension in service of Gen. Sharif was filed in the Supreme Court. A citizen named Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi said in his plea that Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which has been hailed as bone-breaker of terror outfits, is continuing successfully under Gen. Sharif.

The petitioner maintained Gen. Sharif’s service tenure is needed to be extended for elimination of extremism from the country. Mr Naqvi said the situation in Karachi is also moving towards betterment. According to the plea, during the tenure of Gen. Sharif, terror attacks have lessened across the country.

The petitioner has requested the court to hear the case on January 29. The plea mentions federation, President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Sharif as parties.

Meanwhile, former President Asif Ali Zardari welcomed the announcement that the Gen. Sharif will not seek extension in his tenure. “It is good that the rumours that the Army Chief was seeking an extension have been set aside and a categorical statement made that Gen. Raheel Sharif will not seek extension in service,” the former President said in a statement. He said that the Army was a premier institution of the country, the cause of which will be best served if the tradition of extension in service was not allowed to gain roots.