The bills, which gave a three-year extension to General Qamar Bajwa as Pakistan Army Chief, were passed in a hurry without any discussion with Parliament. This has been reported by a group of disgruntled Pakistanis. According to Geo News, the bills to increase the retirement age of Army, Navy and Air Force Chiefs and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 60 years to 64 years were passed by the Upper House or Senate despite opposition from smaller parties.
The group under the banner of the South Asian Against Terrorism and For Human Rights (SAT) forum said on Wednesday that the way Pakistan's government and main opposition parties passed amendments to the military act in haste is a concern. In a statement the group of former journalists and diplomats said in a statement, "Without discussing whether such a law is needed or not, the bills were passed. It also did not consider the impact of such a step on the future of democracy in Pakistan. '
Pakistan adjourns session as soon as the bill is passed
According to Dawn, Senate President Sadiq Sanjrani adjourned the session as soon as the bill is passed. The Senate session lasted only 20 minutes. "It is recorded in history that the army chiefs of Pakistan have repeatedly interrupted the democratic process in Pakistan to maintain its power for a long time," the statement said.
'Politics surrenders to army'
The statement said, "The army has been overthrown before and its chiefs extended their tenure on the strength of power." An example is also when the President of Pakistan extended the tenure of the Army Chief due to pressure. "Saath" condemned the unprecedented surrender of the political class.
