World

‘Unbridled power is dangerous’: Pakistan SC on Army Chief Gen Bajwa’s extension case

'Unbridled power is dangerous': Pakistan SC on Army Chief Gen Bajwa's extension case

TIL Desk/World/London/ Pakistan’s top judge cautioned the government that “unbridled power or position, like unstructured discretion, is dangerous” before a bench headed by him gave a six-month conditional extension to the powerful Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa last month, according to the detailed verdict in the case published on Monday.

On November 28, Bajwa got a six-month conditional extension from the Supreme Court, ending an unprecedented legal wrangle that shook the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and pitted the powerful military against the judiciary. Prime Minister Khan had extended Bajwa’s tenure through a notification in August, but the Supreme Court suspended it on November 26 due to irregularities in the manner of extension.

After three days of heightened uncertainty, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who headed a three-member bench, through a short order, announced that Bajwa would remain the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) for another six months during which the country’s Parliament would legislate on the Pakistan Army chief’s extension/reappointment. The ruling came in the nick of time as Bajwa, 59, was set to retire at midnight on November 28.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *