A notification of the extension of the tenure of Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javer Bajwa has been suspended till Wednesday by the Chief Justice of the Pakistan Supreme Court Asif Saeed Khosa on Tuesday.
A petition by the Jurists Foundation through Riaz Hanif Rahi had been filed challenging the extension. The petitioner on Tuesday filed a withdrawal application, but the three-member Bench — Chief Justice Khosa, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah — rejected the withdrawal request and converted it into a suo motu under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The court suspended the notification based on technicalities. According to reports, the Chief Justice maintained that the summary and approval of the Army Chief’s extension “is not correct”.
In August, the Prime Minister’s office had issued a notification saying that the Army Chief’s tenure had been extended for another term of three years from the date of completion of current tenure.
The Chief Justice said only the President could extend the tenure of the Army Chief.
The court has issued notices to the federal government, the Defence Ministry and Army Chief to appear before it tomorrow.
