From press gallery: Bills passed after ‘tacit’ PTI, open govt support

ISLAMABAD: With PTI’s ‘silent’ and government’s declared support, the Parliament has approved the extension in the tenure of three services chiefs.

It should be noted that from the presentation of the said bill in the National Assembly and the Senate until its approval, no PTI member raised a slogan against the army chief, establishment or the said bill, nor did the PTI get the opportunity to speak in the House and try to take a stand against extension of tenure.

According to the details, the bill to extend the term of the three services chiefs including General Asim Munir from three years to five years was presented on behalf of the government in the National Assembly, the PTI leadership kept changing its strategy to dispel the impression of being ‘friendly opposition’ and news of any deal after the 26th constitutional amendment.

Meanwhile, PTI violently banged the desk, tore copies of bills and threw them in the air, surrounded the speaker’s dais and tried to scuffle with the PMLN members of Assembly. The interesting thing is that during this time, there was a sloganeering match between PMLN and PTI, but those slogans were related to declaring each other as thieves. During such a tense situation, no PTI emotional member raised any single slogan against this bill to extend the term of COAS and the establishment.

The majority of the journalists and analysts present in the press gallery were of the opinion that the silence of the PTI members of the Assembly and the Senate regarding the army chief and the establishment is not a coincidence but part of the party’s policy. They opined whether it is “deal or concession”, PTI has ‘tacitly’ supported the Army Chief’s tenure extension.