E-Paper PDF 28th November (LHR)

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Thursday, 28 November, 2019 I 30 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 148 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

GovT lefT red-faced as sc conTinues scruTiny of Gen Bajwa’s Tenure exTension g

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Baffled CJP says Pm requested ‘reaPPointment’ of Coas BaJwa while President issued ‘notifiCation for extension’

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Govt secures restraint order on verdict in Musharraf high treason case

Court questions three-year extension in army Chief’s tenure, says it won’t overlook illegalities

ag mansoor says though army aCt doesn’t mention extension, it is mentioned in the rules ISLAMABAD

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lawyers strike today over musharraf case, Bajwa extension

staff report

he Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday resumed the hearing of a case pertaining to the extension in army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure and censured Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan over the government’s incompetence in dealing with the matter. An SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Mian Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the case, whereas the army chief was represented by former law minister Farogh Naseem. During the day-long hearing which was adjourned twice, the chief justice said that the prime minister had requested a reappointment whereas the president had issued a notification for extension in the army chief’s tenure, questioning the lack of seriousness in the case. The attorney general informed the court that the summary which notifies Gen Bajwa’s extension had referred to Article 243 and Article 245 of the Constitution. “Please do not do something like this,” said Justice Shah. It seems they never bothered to read the summary once again, the CJP observed. The attorney general, however, said the faux pas was due to “clerical errors” by the ministry. The attorney general said that the army chief is due to retire at midnight on Thursday. Justice Shah wondered how an army chief can be reappointed to the office “when he is no longer part of the staff”. The attorney general said that “until command is handed over to another general, the army chief cannot be considered retired”. The CJP said the government should step back for assessment; there is still time. “They

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should not do something like this with a highranking officer,” he said, referring to Gen Bajwa. The extension in the tenure of army chief was nothing new, said the attorney general, adding that they had been notified in the same manner as well. “In the past, the court never stepped in to assess someone’s extension in tenure,” said Justice Alam. The proceedings were adjourned till Thursday. At the outset of the hearing, AG Mansoor told the court that a retired general can be appointed army chief but there was no precedent. “Article 243 of the Constitution talks about the appointment of an officer,” said Justice Shah, inquiring whether it pertained to the period of appointment as well. Justice Shah asked if a general can continue

to work if his tenure is extended two days before his retirement. “Where does it say that it is a three-year term [for an extension]?” he asked. The attorney general admitted that the period of the tenure was not specified in the rules. “The term tenure is used but the duration has not been specified anywhere,” the AG said.

'Unidentified' assailants thrash JUI-F's Mufti Kifayatullah, sons with iron rods

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Farogh Naseem's 'suspended' licence thwarts court argument STORY ON PAGE 02

Govt prepares new summary for Gen Bajwa’s term extension

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US takes step back after criticising CPEC STORY ON BACK PAGE

Peshawar metro bus project misses 6th deadline File photo

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