Khawaja Asif dismisses reports of amendments to the Army Act

Khawaja Asif dismisses reports of amendments to the Army Act!

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif clarified that the government was not considering making “major changes” to the Pakis­tan Army Act (PAA) 1952.

“Media hype over amendments to the Pakistan Army Act is uncalled for,” the defense minister stressed in a tweet after a local daily reported that major changes would be made to the law.

“Government is not considering any major changes in the said Act. SCP had demanded a review of relevant clauses of PAA in its judgment in CP 39/2019, which shall be complied with in due course.”

The reports are doing rounds as the army is all set to see a change of command, with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa all set to retire next month.

Meanwhile, the army chief is currently busy conducting farewell visits across the country.

The statement from the defense minister comes in wake of the Daily Dawn report.

The report claimed that the government “seems” to be considering amending the army act to empower the appointing authority — the prime minister — to retain “any candidate through a simple notification, rather than having to go through a complex, constitutional process”.