Islamabad: Declaring the Supreme Court decision about service tenure of army chief as alien to the Constitution, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said the Prime Minister has the powers to remove an army chief and induct a new one at anytime. Talking to journalists outside the Parliament House after the National Assembly adopted the Army Amendment Act, he said that “Article 243 of the Constitution empowers the Prime Minister to remove or induct a general as army chief at any time".
He said the way respect of chief justice and other high offices is necessary, the respect for the office of prime minister is equally important. “I don't agree to the apex court's decision in the case of extension in service tenure of army chief," he added.
“I think the court's decision runs contrary to Article 243 of the Constitution. The Prime Minister has the powers to appoint an army chief. The tenure of army chief's service was determined in the Constitution of 1956 but in 1973 Constitution, the determination of service tenure of army chief matter was abolished," he added.
The Chaudhry said following the passage of these bills, the government will begin talks with the opposition regarding amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. He said some talks had already taken place, adding that Defense Minister Pervez Khattak and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser would lead the process of consultations.
Following this, the appointments to Election Commission of Pakistan will be looked at, he added. “These are the three important issues regarding which the government and opposition are in contact currently," he said, adding that there was a mechanism in place regarding these key bills.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan showered praise on opposition parties after National Assembly passed three bills. Talking to journalists along with Senator Faisal Javed Khan outside the Parliament House, she said, “With the passage of the bills from National Assembly, it has been proved that we all are one when it comes to national interest and security."
“All political parties are ready to set aside their interests and stand with the government, which shows there will be no compromise on matters pertaining to national interest," she declared. In the same breath, she continued that she salutes all political parties especially the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for their role in passing the bills in the National Assembly.
“They [PPP] withdrew their proposed amendments to the bills in greater national interest and stood with the national cause," she added. “Today is also an eye-opener for the enemies of the state. Whenever the country has needed its political leadership, they have stood by the country and acted in the greater national interest. “I am hopeful that this show of unity from the Parliament will also be demonstrated on other matters related to national interest.
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