Islamabad, May 18: Pakistan’s powerful Army Chief Gen Ashraf Parvez Kayani will not be given an extension after his tenure ends in November, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar has said, amidst speculation that the General may be upgraded to the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
Mukhtar, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party and a close confidant of President Asif Ali, told reporters in Lahore yesterday that the government would not give Kayani an extension when he completed his tenure in November this year.
Mukhtar also said Kayani had not sought an extension from the government.
The Defence Minister’s comments were the first categorical remarks from the PPP top brass on the issue of an extension for Kayani ? a topic that has been the subject of speculation in Islamabad’s political circles in recent weeks.
–PTI