Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday broke his silence on the names he had advised President Arif Alvi to formalise as the next Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), noting that the decision was made based on merit, according to a media report.
In a statement, Sharif said that applying the principle of seniority in state institutions would serve to strengthen them, Samaa TV reported.
He was referring to how he picked the senior-most officer from among the six candidates shortlisted and sent to him to pick the new Army chief and CJCSC, the report said.
Sharif said that despite immense pressure, he made a decision on merit and upheld the principle of seniority.
The Prime Minister though did not clarify what the pressure was or from whom he was facing it, Samaa TV reported.
He added that his administration’s top priority is tackling economic instability.
In a veiled dig at the planned protest by former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on November 26 at the edge of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Sharif said there is no space for anarchy and chaos in the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Alvi approved the summary sent by Sharif for the appointment of Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir as the next Army chief, and Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the new CJCSC, ending days of speculations, Exprtess Tribune reported.
The development came following the President’s meeting with Imran Khan at Zaman Park.
Footage of the President’s caravan arriving at Khan’s Lahore residence was shared on social media by the PTI amid claims that the two would discuss the party’s plan of action ahead of the appointment for the Army’s top seat.
According to Express News, President Alvi also held a meeting with legal experts at the presidency and signed the summary following the meeting with Khan.
The Ministry of Defence would formally issue a notification about the top military appointments.
Sources said that the new Army chief and CJCSC would meet Alvi soon, Express Tribune reported.
Earlier in the day, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, taking to Twitter, had said that PM Shehbaz Sharif had sent the summary to the President.
“Using his constitutional powers, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has decided to appoint Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Lt Gen Syed Asim Munir as the Chief of the Army Staff,” she said.
As per the seniority list, Lt General Asim Munir, Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Lt General Azhar Abbas, Lt General Numan Mahmud, and Lt General Faiz Hameed were in contention for the job of CJCSC and Army chief.IANS
Zambian farmers sue Chinese-linked mining firms for ecological catastrophe
New Delhi:Farmers in Zambia, in Central Africa, have filed an $80bn lawsuit against two Chinese-linked firms, blaming them for an "ecological catastrophe" after a dam that stored waste from copper...
China’s economic slowdown sharpens, more stimulus expected: Report
New Delhi: China’s economic activity has slowed more than expected last month, with a sharp slump in investment raising hopes for governmental stimulus to keep growth in line with official...
Student suicides in Kerala surge by 50 pc in a decade
Thiruvananthapuram: Student suicides in Kerala have increased by nearly 50 per cent over the past decade, raising fresh alarm over the mental health of schoolchildren. Data presented in the State...
SC seeks states’s responses on pleas against anti-conversion laws
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from several state governments on pleas seeking a stay on their anti-conversion laws. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI)...
North Korea says its status as nuclear weapons state is ‘permanently’ fixed
Seoul: North Korea said Monday its status as a nuclear weapons state has been "permanently" specified in the North's law as it denounced the United States for repeating its "anachronistic"...
Assam Congress hits out at PM Modi’s Manipur visit, calls it ‘too little, too late’
Guwahati: The Assam unit of Congress, on Monday, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Manipur, saying that his intervention came more than two years too late, while the...
‘My brain is worth Rs 200 crore a month, I don’t stoop low’: Gadkari’s sharp retort to E20 fuel detractors
Nagpur: Dismissing criticism against the government’s ethanol-blended petrol programme as politically motivated, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that his brain "is worth Rs 200 crore a...
Once ranked below Taliban, Shibir’s Dhaka University win raises security concerns for India
New Delhi: An Islamist student wing winning the Dhaka University Students Union elections for the first time since Bangladesh’s Independence in 1971 is a sign of how the nation is...
If there was equality, equal opportunity in our society, would religious conversion happen: K’taka CM
Mysuru (Karnataka): Responding to BJP's claims of encouraging religious conversion by categorisation of castes within the Christian community in the caste census, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked on Saturday that...
Should have been done two years ago: Congress on PM Modi’s Manipur visit
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur on Saturday, his first since ethnic violence erupted in May 2023, has drawn sharp criticism from Opposition leaders, even as allies...
India-US ties can be ‘repaired,’ says Congresswoman Deborah Ross
Washington: Congresswoman Deborah Ross, co-chair of the Congressional Study Group on India (CSGI) and a strong supporter of India-US ties, expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship can be “repaired.” In...
A year after Sitaram Yechury’s demise, CPI(M) struggles to find its footing
Thiruvananthapuram: Today marks one year since the passing of former CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, and the void he left continues to weigh heavily on the party. Once regarded...
