ISLAMABAD - Political elite from across the spectrum welcomed the elevation of Lt General Qamar Javed Bajwa as Chief of Army Staff and hoped that he would carry forward the mission of outgoing COAS General Raheel Sharif especially the war against terror.
Known for his professional acumen and apolitical stance, General Bajwa considered terrorism the biggest threat to the national sovereignty and integrity.
Political aides close to the Prime Minister considered his firm commitment to keep the institution apolitical and purely professional was the key reason behind his selection for the top position, as he was on the fourth position in the seniority list presented to the Premier from the Ministry of Defence for filling the top slots in armed forces.
General Bajwa had spent a long time in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad both as student and professional because he had his early education from Rawalpindi and was on the roll of the Sir Syed Public School the Mall Road Rawalpindi Cantonment.
Interestingly, Advisor to Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui, was among his teachers at the Sir Syed College while there is a long list of notables from Rawalpindi who either are his college seniors or class fellows.
Federal Minister for Defence, commenting on the appointment of new army chief, said that the country was passing through a very critical phase and facing multiple challenges relating to war on terror, CPEC and instability in Afghanistan. So in these circumstances, the new army chief would require to give in his best to surmount these challenges.
Welcoming the appointment of new army chief, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah hoped that he would effectively tackle the challenges facing the country in shape of aggression on the Line of Control and Working Boundary besides taking the ongoing war on terror to its logical conclusion.
Jamaat Islami termed the smooth change in command as per the laid down procedure in the constitution heartening and hoped that being a thorough professional, General Bajwa would take on the challenges facing the country well on multiple fronts.
Another JI central leader also paid tributes to the incumbent political dispensation for handling the situation well and bringing par excellence to replace another outstanding general as commander of Pakistan Army who had set very high professional standards in dealing with gigantic issues like war on terror.
He paid glowing tributes to General Raheel Sharif to taking the monster of terrorism by horns and prayed for the incoming army chief to accomplish the task of weeding out the menace from the country.
MQM leader Farooq Sattar hoped that the new army chief would not let the pace of operation against militants down and would speedily take it to its logical conclusion and establish lasting peace in the country.
ANP former Senator Zahid Khan said that new army chief has to tackle the issues like hostilities on the Line of Control and menace of terrorism and hoped that with the support and backing of people of Pakistan armed forces would effectively handle these issues.
PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcoming the appointment of the new army chief said that being a professional soldier, General Bajwa would have to take the Karachi operation and war on terror to their logical conclusion.
Former Army Chief General Aslam Baig said that General Bajwa would have to win the admiration of people of Pakistan on the basis of his performance. He further said that the government is responsible for policy-making while the armed forces and other state organs have to implement it effectively.