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INTERNATIONAL

brow-beat higher judiciary in the coun- able to get legal endorsement. It cannot position, Khan has adopted a confronta-
try, which had declared rejected his three be stated that the issue had never faced tional approach with them. While Bajwa
year extension in the force. He was how- any judicial scrutiny cannot be examined might have preferred amendment in the
ever been given six months extension by the apex court. In the present context, law and if necessary in the basic law of
enabling the Imran Khan government to it is unlikely that the core commanders the land to resolve the legal lacunae, but
correct the procedural lapses. or GHQ will put guns on the Supreme the government is continuing arresting
Court judges to get the petition approved. the opposition leaders. Thus, he appears
REVIEW PETITION The November order of the Pakistan to be avoiding any meaningful dialogue
The decision of the Khan government Supreme Court has allowed the present with the parties. Meanwhile, the main
to file review petition against the three- incumbent, Bajwa, to continue only for opposition parties, the Pakistan Peo-
bench decision of the Supreme Court in next six more months. It is an adequate ple’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League
the case of enacting suitable law for the time given to the government to enact (Noon), have indicated that they would
appointment and service conditions of suitable law for the appointment of the be ready to cooperate with the govern-
the army chief is also intriguing. The at- army chief and his tenure, but instead ment on this sensitive issue, but the pre-
torney general of Pakistan had given an of having a dialogue with the main Op- sent persecution of Sharif’s daughter
undertaking before the apex court that and Zardari-Bhutto family have to be
the government would enact suitable discontinued.
law to streamline the appointment of the The year 2020, if effective measures
army chief. In more than six decades, were not taken, may witness a renewed
There are people in Islamabad, who the GHQ has been the centre effort of the Khan government to bring
point out that Imran Khan deliberately a confrontation between the higher
did not follow the prescribed procedure of power in Pakistan. The judiciary and the army headquarters.
of extending Bajwa’s extension by getting pre-dominant role of the The option before the GHQ is either to
the cabinet’s approval and endorsement abandon Bajwa and Musharraf or to use
of the president. He had announced armed forces had begun physical power to subjugate the well-
by issuing the extension order by his known independent minded superior
own signature, which could not be with the assassination judges. There are reports of unhappiness
described the appropriate order. Again, of the country’s first among the ore commanders on the issue
instead of making suitable legal amend- of the extension to Bajwa, and the army
ments, his government has filed a revi- Prime Minister Nawabzada may not like to have a confrontation with
sion petition. Liaquat Ali Khan on the judiciary to save the much-maligned
The plea taken in the petition, mostly Musharraf, a Muhajir having little fol-
legal experts opine, that they do not be October 16, 1951 lowing in the armed forces and among

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