–Defence Minister Khattak says unanimously approved bills will be presented in NA for voting on Tuesday
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence on Monday unanimously approved the three bills concerning tenures of the services chiefs and the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee.
“The amendments were passed unanimously by the body. I congratulate the entire country and the opposition parties,” Defence Minister Pervez Khattak told reporters, adding that these bills will now be put up for voting in the NA on Tuesday.
The new amendment states that the president, on the advice of the prime minister, can specify tenure and terms and conditions of the service of the army, naval and air staff, and the chairman of the joint chief of staff committee. This includes the grant of extension and re-appointments of the services chiefs. The amendment also fixes the age of the services chiefs at 64 years.
Most importantly, the amendment bill ensures that future extensions won’t be challenged before any court on any ground whatsoever.
The water-tight bill categorically states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law, or any order or judgment of any Court, the appointment, reappointment or extension of the Chief of the Army Staff, or the exercise of discretion by the appointing authority in this regard, shall not be called into question before any Court on any ground whatsoever.”
Similar wording has been used if the civilian leadership decides to give an extension to the CJCSC.
Responding to a journalist’s question, Khattak said all political parties were on the same page regarding the matter.
“No one has backtracked, we should avoid rumour mongering. All political parties are on the same page and are standing alongside the armed forces.”
Meanwhile, Law Minister Farogh Naseem told reporters that the opposition was looking for the creation of a role for a parliamentary committee [for services chiefs’ appointment].
“But I convinced them that the changes they are recommending require a constitutional amendment,” the law minister added.
“A parliamentary committee’s role will come into play only after a constitutional amendment creates that role… and even the Supreme Court has not asked us to amend the Constitution,” he said, adding that the opposition members accepted his arguments with a “big heart”.
The bills were reconsidered by the NA committee on Monday after the body had earlier approved the amendments in a rushed session on Friday.
According to earlier reports, a new timeline for the entire legislative process had been agreed upon under which the NA standing committee on defence after approving the bills on Monday will lay its report before the House on Tuesday and the assembly would pass the bills the same day before referring them to the Senate for a similar procedure.
The Senate defence committee, too, would be required to approve the bills on Tuesday and present its report to the house on Wednesday (Jan 8) for the immediate passage of the bills.
The government postponed the sessions of the two houses convened for Saturday when the opposition protested over the “undue haste” being shown by the ruling coalition.
The government had agreed to the new timeline on the demand of the opposition parties, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that had presented its own timeline in light of the directives received from the party supremo Nawaz Sharif from London for the whole process, suggesting that the bills should be passed on Jan 15.
