Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif labels extension of army chief tenure talks as 'premature'

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday labelled rumours about the extension of the army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure as "premature".

Shehbaz, while speaking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) in Lahore, said that he will see to it when the time comes adding that every institution works within its constitutional ambit, reported Geo News.

Bajwa has been serving as Chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army since November 2016. Bajwa, the four-star general, was granted an extension in June 2020, five months before he was due to retire.

Earlier, the Pakistan army had denied speculations about his extension of the tenure. Bajwa was appointed to the top post in 2016 by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"He will retire on time on November 29, 2022," said Major General Babar Iftikhar, the Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Taking about the draconian Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) law, Shehbaz said that the government does not intend to restrict freedom of press and expression and added that under PECA ordinance and other laws, all possible protection will be given to journalists, reported Geo News.

He added that the Ministry of Law has already been entrusted with the task of reviewing the PECA ordinance.

Aside from speaking about journalistic freedom and the army chief's extension, the premier also shed light on several other issues.

PM Shehbaz said that the government was taking steps to ensure power generation, transmission, and supply, reported Geo News.

"Imran Khan's regime doubled the debt burden on the nation in four years, but now, the government is trying to ensure the availability of basic necessities of life to the masses at low prices," he said, adding that the coalition government is also working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects as well as Reko Diq.

Speaking about the government's foreign policy, PM Shehbaz told the journalists that it wants to deal with all countries with mutual respect and interests.

Shehbaz said that Pakistan was not in a position to sideline or antagonise the United States as it was the superpower.

He also said that electoral reforms were essential for transparent elections in the country, reported Geo News.

( With inputs from ANI )