Imran wishes to appoint army chief of his choice: Kh Asif

Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan wished to appoint the next leader of the Pakistan Army of his choosing. 

Khawaja said Imran Khan is creating a controversy around the appointment of the next army chief under what he believed a "well-thought-out plot".

Speaking on the Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath" on Monday, the PML-N minister that the government has the constitutional and legal right to name the army chief and that it will finally carry out this job.

Imran Khan wanted to pick the army chief of his choice, according to Khawaja Asif. He pointed out that the Army Chief's appointment is still two and a half months away. The minister noted that the consideration process for the topmost appointment in the army has not yet begun.

Khawaja Asif claimed that Imran Khan had held meetings at his residence in Banigala. The PML-N leader said the PTI people still want US support. He also highlighted what Imran Khan had said about the courts. "Now, Imran Khan is also crossing our religious red lines," he added.

He said that the Punjab government could collapse at any time as it is based on a few votes. There are resentments in his [Imran's] party, Asif said. He added that the current situation is that even Asad Umar and Shah Mehmood Qureshi are not willing to defend Imran Khan's statements.

Imran Khan proposes extension of present army chief

In an exclusive interview with a private news channel on Monday, Imran Khan suggested deferring the appointment of the new army chief until the country has a newly formed government. Per Imran Khan, the upcoming government should appoint the leader of the Pakistan Army.

On September 12, Imran Khan proposed to extend the tenure of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa till the next elections.

Khan said that the appointment of an army chief should be deferred until the government is elected, which should then choose the new military head.

Khan has been making headlines since his ouster in April this year because of his constant remarks regarding the army chief.

Earlier this month, while speaking during a public rally in Faisalabad, the PTI chairman had called out the government, saying that it was delaying the elections to appoint an army chief of its own and that if a "patriotic chief of army staff comes in, he will not spare the incumbent rulers."