Senator Farogh Naseem resigns as federal law minister

ISLAMABAD: Senator Farogh Naseem has resigned  as the minister of law and justice to fight the case of Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday, federal ministers confirmed during a press conference Tuesday.

The development followed an emergency meeting of the Cabinet.

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, who was addressing the media here in the federal capital alongside the prime minister's special assistant on accountability, Shahzad Akbar, and Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, said: "Prime Minister Imran Khan has accepted Naseem's resignation."

Ahmed added that he resigned by his own will. "Let me tell you that Farogh Naseem has resigned voluntarily," he said.

The former law minister "will present himself before the court tomorrow with the attorney general and represent the government's stance on General Bajwa's extension", he added. 

"The Cabinet lauds Farogh Naseem's abilities and hard work," Ahmed said, adding that none of the Cabinet members criticised the former law minister.

The court's prerequisites have been fulfilled as well, Ahmed noted.

Akbar, the PM's special assistant, added that Naseem could, however, rejoin the Cabinet after the case concluded and should the premier approve. He added that the minister stepped down from the post as he could not fight Gen Bajwa's case while holding the law minister's office.

Education minister Mahmood mentioned that there was no ambiguity regarding the decision of the Army chief's extension.

SC suspends notification on Gen Bajwa's extension

Earlier today, the Supreme Court had suspended a notification that confirmed the Army chief's three-year extension.

In a hearing today pertaining to the withdrawal application of a petition challenging the extension of Gen Bajwa's tenure, the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, said only the president could extend the army chief's tenure.

The top judge rejected the application and took up the petition in public interest under the Constitution's Article 184 (3), turning the petition into a suo motu notice.

"The prime minister does not have the power to extend the tenure of the army chief," the chief justice remarked, to which, the attorney general said: "The Army chief's tenure was extended after the president's approval."

'Entire process was upside down'

During the arguments, Justice Khosa also wondered why the notification referred to the extension as a re-appointment. “The entire process was upside down.

"First, the cabinet should have given the approval, then the prime minister and president should have been advised,” he said, suspending  the extension notification and adjourning the hearing to the next day.

Back on August 19, PM Imran had approved Gen Bajwa's extension as the Pakistan Army chief. A notification issued then by the PM Office had read: “General Qamar Javed Bajwa is appointed Chief of Army Staff for another term of three years from the date of completion of current tenure.

"The decision has been taken in view of the regional security environment," it had added.