CT Newsroom
Pakistan’s parliament passed legislations last night extending the tenures of military chiefs from three to five years. The legislation was passed without allowing comments from the opposition.
Reportedly, parliament hastily passed six bills to extend the tenure of the military chiefs from three to five years. These amendments were passed by the Shehbaz-led government without taking the opposition into confidence or allowing any debate last night, on Monday.
The bills were approved by both houses of parliament: the National Assembly (NA) within 24 minutes, and the Senate in just 16 minutes.
Opposition members protested against the bills, chanting slogans and tearing copies of the proposed legislation as National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq did not allow debate on the bills.
The government claimed that the purpose of extending the tenure was to establish continuity and avoid the political disruption that arises every three years with the appointment of a new army chiefs.
Lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also protested against the rapid passing of the bills by parliament.
During his speech, opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan called the bill a “shameful incident” and referred to the coalition government as a “government of thieves.” Speaker Mir Ghulam Mustafa immediately intervened, ordering Omar Ayub’s microphone turned off and his remarks removed from the record.
The NA’s livestream of the session on YouTube was briefly stopped and resumed before the session adjourned.
According to media reports, all six bills have been signed into law by Acting President Yousuf Raza Gillani.
The newly approved amendments include the Army Act Amendment Bill 2024, the Air Force Act Amendment Bill 2024, and the Pakistan Navy Act Amendment Bill 2024. These bills address the service chiefs’ tenures, their extension periods, and retirement age limits.
Notably, following the approval of the amendments, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that Army Chief General Asim Munir will now serve until 2027.
