Home Latest News Gen. Raheel Sharif Says He Will Retire on Time

Gen. Raheel Sharif Says He Will Retire on Time

by AFP
Ishara S. Kodikara—AFP

Ishara S. Kodikara—AFP

Pakistan Army chief has dismissed reports that he would seek an extension to his tenure later this year.

Pakistan Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif confirmed Monday he will retire at the end of his tenure later this year, ending media speculation surrounding his role and opening up arguably the most powerful position in the country.

Sharif, widely credited with bringing a semblance of security back to the insurgency-plagued country, said in a meeting with his top officials on Monday that he planned to seek no extension. “Pakistan Army is a great institution,” Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa quoted Sharif as saying on Twitter. “I don’t believe in extension and will retire on the due date.”

“Efforts to [root] out terrorism will continue with full vigor and resolve. Pakistan’s national interest is supreme and will be safe guarded at all costs,” he added.

Sharif was named Army chief in 2013, when his predecessor General Ashfaq Kayani’s term, which had been extended by three years, came to an end. Sharif is due to step down this year.

Former military leaders Pervez Musharraf and Zia-ul-Haq also extended their own rule during their time in power.

The announcement, which came less than a week after Taliban-linked militants killed 21 people in an attack on a university in the troubled northwest, was quickly praised on social media and broadcast television.

Under Sharif, the Pakistani military launched an offensive in the tribal areas in June 2014, where militants had previously operated with impunity. The Army claims to have killed thousands of insurgents and swept many others over the porous border into Afghanistan, contributing to a boost in security in 2015.

However, critics are concerned that rights are being rolled back in the name of defeating terror, citing the creation of military courts and the resumption of hangings after a six-year moratorium, among other moves.

Pakistan has been ruled by the military for more than half its 69-year history and the armed forces are widely seen as controlling defense and foreign policy. Whoever takes over Sharif’s role will face an array of daunting challenges, including keeping homegrown militants in check, vexed relations with India and the role Pakistan wants to play in promoting peace in Afghanistan.

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1 comment

Imran Ahmed January 26, 2016 - 11:48 am

Much as I admire the General and wish him luck it is presumptuous of him to assume that he would be granted and extension by his boss.

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