LAHORE   -  In the aftermath of ex-spy chief Faiz Hameed’s arrest, a difference of opinion has emerged within the PML-N regarding the extension of ex-Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s term.

This is evident from the conflicting statements made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Punjab Assembly Speaker Mohammad Ahmad Khan, who have presented differing views on the matter. Talking to reporters in Punjab Assembly on Thursday, Speaker Mohammad Ahmad Khan rejected Khawaja Asif’s assertion that Gen Bajwa had sought extension in service as army chief and he had even talked of imposing martial law.

Ahmad Khan is known for having friendly relations with General Bajwa since the days Bajwa was the army chief. He also acted as a mediator between the general and the PML-N Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif when the latter was residing in London.

In his media talk, Ahmad Khan stated that General Bajwa had many options, but he clearly said that he did not want an extension in his service. “Khawaja Asif is a wise man, but he strayed from the context in some of his statements”, he said. Citing an event at the National Defence University (NDU), the Speaker said that when there was a question-and-answer session at the NDU, General Bajwa made it clear that he did not want an extension. “He [Gen. Bajwa] even mentioned on the United Nations platform in New York that he did not want to get an extension because there were people [generals] waiting behind him [for promotion].  

Mohammad Ahmad stated that his stance on the appointment of the army chief has been clear: the senior most officer should become the army chief. He further said that the appointment of the army chief is a clear process.

Asked about PML-N’s support for Gen. Bajwa’s first extension, the PA speaker said: “When a majority party in Parliament decides on extending the tenure of the Army Chief, how can the Opposition make a different argument in this regard?”

In his cautious reaction to Ahmad Khan’s claim about Bajwa’s stance over the extension issue, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that there was no major difference between his and Ahmad Khan’s narratives.

“Ahmad Khan is talking of Bajwa’s statements at public platforms like NDU and in New York, whereas I am talking of Bajwas’s statements given at a different place and in a different situation. There is no difference in what I am saying and what Ahmad Khan is saying on the same issue”, the defense minister maintained in a Geo News programme on Thursday evening.  

However, Khawaja Asif explained that his statement about General Bajwa’s extension was in the context of a meeting we both [Khawaja Asif and Ahmad Khan] had with the army chief over the contours of an interim set up [after removal of Imran Khan]. “In that meeting, Gen. Bajwa had suggested the option of his extension for a period of six months or one year during the interim arrangement, after which the new government could appoint its own army chief”, he further explained, adding that he was not talking about Bajwa’s first extension. The defense minister also said that General Bajwa had once threatened to impose martial law in his presence. “Gen. Bajwa had also publicly talked of exercising the option of martial law while speaking at the platform of NDU”, he added.