This refers to the article, ‘The making of a controversy’ ( December 5) by Salim Safi. The writer describes the complete details of the COAS’s extension controversy from August 19, 2019 to November 28, 2019 when the SC gave its verdict. The writer has rightly criticized the government for its poor handling of the extension case but these details have already been reported and debated in the media. The consensus was that it was the incompetence of the government and failure of its legal team to handle such a simple matter. It is incorrect to suggest that the PM issued notification on his letter head. It was a routine letter and the staff was supposed to convert it into a proper notification, but instead turned it into a fiasco. At the same time, the president’s denial about not remembering notification date is bizarre.
Normally, as per past practice, the name of the new army chief is announced two to three months in advance, because the tenures are fixed, but in Pakistan the media has unnecessarily attached too much importance – hence, the controversy. The writer, after overruling other possibilities, has rightly summed up that if it was incompetency on the part of various functionaries some heads should have rolled but it cannot be connected with the future handling of economic and foreign matters.
Mukhtar Ahmed
Karachi