Pakistan’s General Bajwa to lead army for another six months after top court avoids ‘clash of institutions’
- Prime Minister Imran Khan asked Bajwa to extend his tenure but the legality of the decision had been questioned by the Supreme Court
- Pakistan’s military wields vast influence, prompting one newspaper to write: ‘This is a landmark case: unprecedented questions are being raised’
General Qamar Javed Bajwa has served three years in his role, arguably the highest authority in the country, and in August Prime Minister Imran Khan asked him to extend his tenure and serve another three.
The request is not unusual. The Pakistani military has long played an outsize role in national life, ruling the country for roughly half its 72-year history, while many army chiefs have gone well beyond their mandated term.
This time, however, the Supreme Court has raised questions about the legality of the decision, in an unexpected move that has shocked the South Asian nation long accustomed to seeing the military get its way.
On Thursday, hours ahead of the midnight deadline for Bajwa’s term to expire, the court said it was granting him a conditional extension of six months, giving parliament time to clarify the constitutional guidelines under which an army chief’s tenure could be prolonged.
“Considering that the [army chief] is responsible for the command, discipline, training, administration, organisation and preparedness for war of the army … we, while exercising restraint, find it appropriate to leave the matter to the parliament,” Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa told the court.
Khan celebrated the court’s decision.