Pakistan's top court blocked an extended term for the country's powerful army chief, potentially setting the judiciary on a collision course with the powerful military and a key ally of Imran Khan. The supreme court suspended a government decision to give Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa a fresh three-year-term in office and ordered a detailed investigation into his extension. The court's surprise questioning of a decision previously seen as a formality threatened to trigger a confrontation between the country's powerful military and its civilian institutions. Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa questioned the whole basis for extending the term for the chief of army staff. The chief justice of
Pakistan on Tuesday suspended the earlier government decision until Wednesday, saying a “detailed examination of the matter of extension/re-appointment of General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of the army staff” was needed. The supreme court's three-judge panel questioned the legal basis for the extension. Imran Khan's government immediately defended the August announcement. Gen Bajwa was appointed to lead the military in 2016, taking over from the hugely popular General Raheel Sharif Credit: FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP via Getty Images “It is the prime minister's discretion to decide whether there is a need to grant an extension to a services chief in unusual circumstances," acting government spokesman Shafqat Mahmood told a news conference. Farogh Naseem, law minister, resigned on Tuesday to appear before the supreme court as Gen Bajwa's lawyer. Analysts said the court was still likely to award the extension to Gen Bajwa, but its resistance had weakened a key bulwark of Mr Khan's government. Pakistan's army has directly ruled the country for much of its history and has pulled strings from behind the scenes for much of the rest. Gen Bajwa's extension had been widely viewed as a move to tighten control on power in a country where the military and its civilian rivals have sparred for decades. Pakistan's opposition accuses Gen Bajwa of backing Mr Khan in last year's general
election and bringing him to power in a rigged election. The military denies meddling in democracy. An August announcement that Gen Bajwa would be given a three year extension said it was “in view of the regional security environment”. Imran Khan interview But the court attacked the government's reasoning. “The said words are quite vague and if at all there is any regional security threat then it is the gallant armed forces of the country as an institution which are to meet the said threat and an individual’s role in that regard may be minimal,” the court said. It also said the government had messed up the extension procedure. If the extension is blocked by the court, Gen Bajwa's term will end on Friday. Chief Justice Khosa told representatives of the military and the government to appear in court on Wednesday. The move surprised political observers. Gen Bajwa's military had been seen as close to Mr Khan's government, with few of the disagreements which marred relations with Pakistan Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif under the prior administration. There had been speculation that Gen Bajwa's extension had been unpopular with his subordinates in the military, who feared for their own promotion prospects if he seized prolonged control.