ISLAMABAD - As many as three separate private member bills seeking reversal of a law that allows either re-appointment or extension in the tenure of all services chiefs and the chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee landed in the Senate Secretariat here on Monday. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmed submitted the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill. The lawmaker has separately submitted notices in the office of secretary Senate for moving amendments in the existing laws on the floor of the house. In January 2020, the parliament had approved three bills that set a higher retirement age for the chiefs of the Pakistani Army, Navy and Air Force, allowing the prime minister to extend their terms at his discretion. As a result of one of these laws, then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa got a three-year extension to his services, which was already given to him by former prime minister Imran Khan from November 2019.
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The Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 by omitting Sections 8B and 8E in the law. Similarly, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill and Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill seek to amend the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 and Pakistan Navy Ordinance 1961 respectively by omitting different sections in these laws. The statement of objects and reasons of the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill says that in the year 2020, the Pakistan Army Act was amended and provisions were inserted for extension in services of army chief and chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. “Keeping in view the meritorious appointment and promotion of young bold within the Pakistan Army leadership, the provisions related to the extension of these two offices are proposed for omission,” it added. The statement of objects also underlines the role of Pakistan Army for giving services and sacrifices for the sake of safety and security of the country since its inception. “There is no denying the fact that the Pakistan Army has made us feel secure within the borders and tried their level best to combat existential threats, both conventional and non-conventional.”
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