The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday suspended the notification issued by the government of Imran Khan in August that extended the tenure of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa by three years. The court issued notices to the defence ministry, Khan's government and General Bajwa for continued hearing on the matter on Wednesday.
General Bajwa was originally due to retire on November 29, but his tenure was extended on August 19 by Imran Khan.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, passed the order, while hearing a petition by the Jurists Foundation, which wanted to declare the extension of tenure of General Bajwa as "null and void, and illegal".
During the hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court noted that only the president of Pakistan could approve extension of tenure for the army chief. The attorney general informed Khosa that the president had not approved the extension yet.
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Khosa also noted that only 11 members of the 25-strong cabinet had approved the extension for General Bajwa, The Dawn reported. "Fourteen members of the cabinet did not give any opinion due to non-availability," Justice Khosa said. "Did the government take their silence as agreement?" Khosa asked the government, according to The Dawn.
Imran Khan has often been criticised as being effectively subservient to the Pakistan Army and General Bajwa.
