ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) admitted on Sunday that granting a service extension to former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa was a mistake, apologising to the nation over the decision and vowing never to be part of such practices again.
The admission and apology came from PTI senior leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser during a joint press conference of Tehreek Tahafuz Aain Pakistan (TTAP) leaders in Islamabad.
“The decision about Bajwa’s extension was wrong; I believe it was our historically incorrect decision,” Qaiser said, responding to a question about the former COAS’s extension. “We apologise to the whole nation [on this decision],” he added. “We will not be a part of any such decision in the future.”
TTAP chief and veteran politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai added that neither any civilian nor military official should be granted service extensions, arguing that appointments should be made solely on merit — the only principle, he said, essential for Pakistan’s progress.
In late 2019, Pakistan faced an unprecedented legal standoff over then — prime minister Imran Khan’s decision to grant a three-year extension to Gen Bajwa, whose term was due to end on November 28. Just two days before his retirement date, the Supreme Court suspended the extension while hearing a petition challenging it — the first such case in the country’s history.
The government had justified the extension by citing regional security concerns, including India’s revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy and Pakistan’s role in the US-Afghan peace process. Critics, however, viewed it as a political calculation to secure Khan’s own tenure, given the army’s perceived role in facilitating his rise to power.
During his remarks, Qaiser not only criticised the incumbent governance model but also termed it “illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic,” claiming the country was under a “practical martial law” where decisions were made under institutional pressure rather than merit.
The PTI stalwart said his party believed that cases of political prisoners, including party founder Imran Khan, should be heard on merit and without external influence, adding that live media coverage of trials would expose the reality of the proceedings.
On the so-called 27th Constitutional Amendment, Qaiser said PTI would use every available forum — parliament, the courts, and public mobilisation — to resist it, adding that a lawyers’ movement would also be initiated.
He said the party would approach the legal fraternity to challenge any such move, begin consultations with the Islamabad Bar this month, engage with foreign diplomats, and hold seminars to highlight its concerns.
Achakzai, speaking at the same press conference, stressed that the TTAP movement would avoid personal attacks and focus on constitutional protection, adding that political differences should not undermine democratic principles.
He recalled visiting PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz during their imprisonment in the past, noting that “party leaders would visit them in flocks and no one would object”.
Criticising Pakistan’s political and governance decline, Achakzai warned that when public anger rises, even the most entrenched rulers can be removed.
He called for a political agreement to ensure supremacy of the Constitution, judicial independence, establishment of a credible election commission, media freedom, and an end to harassment of journalists — saying all parties should sign such a document.
Former PML-N leader and Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair also addressed the gathering, highlighting the country’s deepening economic crisis. He cited record inflation — with weekly price increases touching 50 per cent and overall inflation hitting 38 per cent — saying such levels had never been seen before in Pakistan.
Zubair said more than 110 million people had fallen below the poverty line, with overall unemployment at 22 per cent and youth unemployment at 30 per cent. He pointed to a sharp rise in public debt, noting that while PTI’s tenure saw an increase of Rs19 trillion, the last three-and-a-half years had added Rs38 trillion more.
Foreign investment, he said, was now at a 50-year low despite promises of major inflows. He noted a decline in GDP growth to an average of 1.62 per cent against a population growth rate of 2.6 per cent, alongside a 60 per cent fall in purchasing power over three years.
Calling the state of education “shameful,” he cited 27 million out-of-school children and malnutrition affecting 40 per cent of children. Public sector enterprises, he added, were incurring losses of Rs1 trillion, further straining national finances.
