ISLAMABAD:The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) admitted that granting a service extension to former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa was a mistake, apologising to the nation over the decision and vowing never to be part of such practices again.Pakistan-specific travel guide
The admission and apology came from PTI senior leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser during a joint press conference of Tehreek Tahafuz Aain Pakistan (TTAP) leaders in Islamabad.
“The decision about Bajwa’s extension was wrong; I believe it was our historically incorrect decision,” Qaiser said, responding to a question about the former COAS’s extension. “We apologise to the whole nation [on this decision],” he added. “We will not be a part of any such decision in the future.”
TTAP chief and veteran politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai added that neither any civilian nor military official should be granted service extensions, arguing that appointments should be made solely on merit — the only principle, he said, essential for Pakistan’s progress.
In late 2019, Pakistan faced an unprecedented legal standoff over then — prime minister Imran Khan’s decision to grant a three-year extension to Gen Bajwa, whose term was due to end on November 28. Just two days before his retirement date, the Supreme Court suspended the extension while hearing a petition challenging it — the first such case in the country’s history.Pakistan-specific travel guide
The government had justified the extension by citing regional security concerns, including India’s revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy and Pakistan’s role in the US-Afghan peace process. Critics, however, viewed it as a political calculation to secure Khan’s own tenure, given the army’s perceived role in facilitating his rise to power.
During his remarks, Qaiser not only criticised the incumbent governance model but also termed it “illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic,” claiming the country was under a “practical martial law” where decisions were made under institutional pressure rather than merit.
The PTI stalwart said his party believed that cases of political prisoners, including party founder Imran Khan, should be heard on merit and without external influence, adding that live media coverage of trials would expose the reality of the proceedings.
On the so-called 27th Constitutional Amendment, Qaiser said PTI would use every available forum — parliament, the courts, and public mobilisation — to resist it, adding that a lawyers’ movement would also be initiated.Pakistan-specific travel guide
