The Prime Minister Office on Monday announced that Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, will get a three-year extension “from the date of completion of current tenure”.
The announcement said that the decision “has been taken in view of the regional security environment”. General Bajwa’s original term was to end in November 2019 after serving as army chief for three years. He will remain as army chief till November 2022.
Speculations about an extension were doing the rounds for many months now. Prime Minister Imran Khan has put all speculations to rest by signing off on the extension order.
Extensions as chief of army staff are not unheard of in Pakistan. While General Bajwa’s predecessor General Raheel Sharif retired when his term ended in November 2016, General Sharif’s predecessor General Ashfaq Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was given a three-year extension in November 2010 by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government.
General Kayani remained the army chief from November 2007 till November 2013.