NA approves amendments to army chief tenure bill
The bills amendments were passed with the support of all major political parties, including the opposition PML-N and PPP
Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday approved amendments to the Army Act 1952, Pakistan Air Force Act 1953 and Pakistan Navy Ordinance 1961 which will now give the prime minister the power to extend the tenure of any service chief and the president to give his final nod to the extension or reappointment.
The bills amendments were passed with the support of all major political parties, including the opposition PML-N and PPP.
Some opposition lawmakers, including MPs from the rightist Jamaat-e-Islami walked out in protest over the bills. They had earlier announced they would not be supporting the bill on principle.
After the National Assembly’s approval, the bills will now go to the Senate Standing Committee on Defence for approval before they are passed by the Senate. The bills would become acts of parliament once signed by the president.
In November 2019, the Supreme Court had asked the government to legislate on an extension in the COAS’s services within six months, allowing General Qamar Javed Bajwa to stay in office until then.
