LAHORE: On Wednesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected and deemed inadmissible a petition that sought to select the army chief based on seniority.Advocate Najma Ahmed filed a petition asking the court to order the respondents to name the person with the highest experience as the future army chief.
Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), would retire on November 29, according to the petitioner’s argument. The Ministry of Defence’s list of five generals for the position of army staff is taken into consideration when choosing the new COAS, keeping tradition in mind.The petitioner claimed that one of the five military officials might be appointed army chief at the prime minister’s choice under the rules of business.
The petitioner cited Article 243 (4b) of the Constitution, which outlines the method for the selection of the Chief of Army Staff, and argued that this system violates Article 25 of the Constitution and is therefore illegitimate and unconstitutional.
He asserted that the federal government is required by law to name the new army staff. The petitioner pleaded with the judge to order the appointment of the senior-most commander as the army staff .The petitioner claimed that prominent attorney Aitzaz Ahsan had also voiced opposition to the army chief’s appointment following the customary process.
The court advised the petitioner to contact the Supreme Court, noting that such a case should be handled by the entire court. It should be noted that following significant discussions between PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in London, it was decided to name the military’s senior-most officer as the next army staff.
