ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir’s tenure will restart following his new appointment as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), read a bill moved in the National Assembly on Thursday.
Speaking on the floor of the House after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif presented the bill to amend the Army Act, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the CDF’s term would be five years from the date of his appointment.
He made the remarks during the NA session that passed the bills amending the Army, Navy, and Air Force Acts after the cabinet’s endorsement.
The bill mentions that the Chief of the Army Staff, concurrently the Chief of the Defence Forces under Article 243 of the Constitution, “the tenure under this section shall commence from the date of notification of the said office”.
The amendment means that once the notification of the first appointment of the Chief of the Army Staff and the Chief of the Defence Forces is issued, the existing tenure of the incumbent COAS shall be deemed to have recommenced from the date of such notification.
Moreover, the government will determine the duties, functions, and responsibilities of the COAS and CDF, including but not limited to his functions and responsibilities regarding multi-domain integration, necessary restructuring, and optimum jointness of the Armed Forces.
The bill further mentions that the prime minister will appoint the Commander of the National Strategic Command, from among the Generals in the Pakistan Army, for a tenure of three years on the COAS/CDF’ recommendation.
The terms and conditions of the Commander of the National Strategic Command shall also be determined by the prime minister, the bill mentions. The General appointed to the post may receive a three-year extension — as may be “determined by the prime minister, in the national security interest or exigencies, from time to time”.
The appointment, reappointment, or extension of the Commander of the National Strategic Command, or the exercise of discretion by the appointing authority in this regard, shall not be called into question before any Court on any ground whatsoever, the bill reads.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
