BY IFTIKHAR MASHWANI
ISLAMABAD: The consultation and process of appointment of new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) finalized. The consultations among the Government coalition partners and others stake holders finalized at all level. The final nomination will be announced after approval of federal cabinet.The Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow (on Thursday).The Prime Minister will chair the cabinet meeting.
According to the sources the senior most Lt Gen Asim Munir (currently Quarter Master General) is most favorite for the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of world most professional Pakistan Army and Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza (Commander 10 Corps) will be next Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) .
The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will send a summary seeking the appointment of the new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and the chief of army staff (COAS) to President Arif Alvi in next 72 hour (before Friday).
The official sources said that President Arif Alvi will sign the summary on coming Saturday or Sunday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is, moreover, expected to hold a consultation with outgoing army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday on the selection of his successor.
It is a convention that the prime minister holds this discussion with the outgoing chief, however, it is described as “informal consultation”.
A special meeting of the federal cabinet has also been convened for Thursday to deliberate on the appointments. The government had earlier planned to complete the process by Friday.
The prime minister would after making the choice advise President Arif Alvi to appoint the general as the next army chief. It remains to be seen if the president would agree with the advice or send it back for reconsideration.
Talking to to media persons Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday,he expected the new army chief to be appointed before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left for Ankara on November 25.
According to sources Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed it had received the summary for the appointment of the chief of army staff (COAS) and the chairman joint chief of staff committee (CJCSC). “The formalities, the procedure laid down in the law will likely take a day”.
The appointment of COAS matter to be finalized before the premier was scheduled to leave for Turkey on a two-day visit.
Earlier today, the PMO confirmed that it had received the summary from the Ministry of Defence with a “panel of names” for the appointment of the new COAS and the CJCSC.
“The prime minister will take a decision on the appointments as per the laid down procedure,” the early morning statement said.
The development comes hours after the military confirmed that it had dispatched the summary to the defense ministry.
Although multiple ministers spent Tuesday denying the impression that the summary had been received by the PMO, the brief missive from Inter-Services Pub¬lic Relations simply stated: “GHQ has forwarded the summary for selection of CJCSC and COAS, containing names of 6 senior most Lt Gens, to MoD.”
Although the communique did not mention which six names have been forwarded, it is believed that the six men currently in the running to be the next chief of army staff are (in order of seniority) Lt Gen Asim Munir (currently Quarter Master General), Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza (Commander 10 Corps), Lt Gen Azhar Abbas (Chief of General Staff), Lt Gen Nauman Mehmood (NDU Presi¬dent), Lt Gen Faiz Hamid (Commander Baha¬walpur Corps), and Lt Gen Mohammad Amir (Com¬mander Gujranwala Corps).
The prime minister would after making the choice advise President Arif Alvi to appoint the general as the next army chief. It remains to be seen if the president would agree with the advice or send it back for reconsideration.
