Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan on Thursday said that to legislate on the matter of an army chief’s appointment and extension of tenure “will be a matter of honour foar the government”.
“This is not a matter of adversity for the government,” said AG Khan, as he addressed a press conference following the court’s verdict earlier in the day which had stated that Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa will serve as the army chief for six more months.
The court had announced its decision while directing the government to pass legislation which it said was missing from existing laws. The short order had noted that according to Article 243, the authority to appoint an army chief lies with the president. However, there is no duration of appointment specified in the Article.
“Today’s decision is a historical decision. The way the Constitution has been interpreted will provide guidance for us in the future,” said the attorney general.
Speaking of the unprecedented nature of the case and the proceedings that followed for three days, he said it was important to note that “various laws were debated upon and many things came to the fore which were never before decided in court”.
“It is important to state here that the Army Act is pre-partition and after small modifications, it is being amended. It was never before challenged in court,” said AG Khan.
He said that was the reason why “no one ever realised the mistakes involved in the procedures that were being followed”.
The attorney general said that prior to Gen Bajwa’s appointment, many chiefs of staff were appointed and many got extensions using the same method that was employed this time around.
