Army chief Gen Bajwa’s tenure extended for three years

The term of Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been extended for a period of three years.

According to the reports, Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved the extension of Bajwa’s term.

“General Qamar Javed Bajwa is appointed Chief of Army Staff for another term of three years from the date of completion of current tenure,” read a brief statement from Imran Khan’s office.

The announcement stated that the move had been taken taking into view the security environment in the subcontinent.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa to continue as army chief for another 3 years.

Gen Bajwa was appointed as the chief of army staff by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in November 2016.

His extension marks the second time in nearly a decade that the country’s top general had their traditional three-year term extended.

Prime Minister Imran’s first year in office has been characterized by a rare harmony in the traditionally fraught relationship between the country’s civilian and military leaderships, with Gen Bajwa last month defending the tough economic measures taken by the PTI government as “difficult but extremely essential”.

Tensions between Pakistan and Indian flared this month after New Delhi decided to strip occupied Kashmir of its special constitutional status and imposed a crippling curfew in the territory that has continued for weeks.

Islamabad angrily slammed the decision, taking the matter to the United Nations Security Council and expelling India’s ambassador and suspending bilateral trade.

Relations between the two countries had already been strained after a suicide car bombing in February that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in occupied Kashmir led to an aerial dogfight between Pakistani and Indian jets.

The country observed a ‘Black Day’ on Thursday to coincide with India’s independence day celebrations, in solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.