Dr Shera supports COAS tenure extension

LONDON: Councillor Dr James Shera, former Rugby mayor, has supported the extension in the tenure of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said: “This extension was necessary due to the regional tension in the security field. The recent decision by India to strip Kashmir of its special status and imposing crippling curfew on the local population has fuelled the tension between the neighbouring countries. On the western frontier, Pakistan is playing a critical role in the talks between the USA and the Taliban.”

Dr Shera added: “The religious minorities fully support the government on this issue and appreciate that General Bajwa has helped to unify the nation at this hour of need. We particularly appreciate his recent help in keeping Edwardes College, Peshawar, under the Church authority as a Christian Institute.”

The statement was endorsed by the UK Pakistani Christian leaders — including Dr Peter David, Councillor Morris Johns, Bishop Yousaf Nadeem Bhinder, Reverend John Bosco, Qamar Rafique and Michael Massey, he said.