Khawaja Asif says NOC granted to Raheel Sharif after due process

ISLAMABAD: Former army chief General Raheel Sharif was granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to head a Saudi-led military alliance after due process, said PML-N MNA Khawaja Asif on Tuesday.

“Gen Raheel applied for an NOC and it was approved by MOD (Ministry of Defence) after due process,” Khawaja Asif, who was the then federal defence minister, tweeted.

His response came shortly after the Supreme Court was told that Gen Raheel Sharif had not obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the cabinet before going to Saudi Arabia to head the 41-nation military alliance.

Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan told the court as per the law, the NOC is issued by the federal government to government officers willing to join service in foreign lands. 

The NOC is approved by the federal cabinet under government service rules, he said.

On the other hand, Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Zamirul Hassan informed the court that it was the defence ministry which had granted NOC to the ex-chief of army staff after General Headquarters (GHQ) cleared him to accept the post of Commander of Islamic Military Counterterrorism Coalition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The court ruled that the matter of Sharif's appointment be placed before the federal cabinet for a regular approval (or disapproval).

"We have to proceed according to the law," the CJP said during the hearing, observing that the authority of the federal government is controlled by the cabinet. He said the matter at hand was of an urgent nature.