• Army chief’s appointment notification will be out by Nov 26, says Khawaja Asif.
• Says government will deal with Imran Khan after the appointment.
• With his new statement, Imran legitimised no-trust vote, he says.

Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the notification for the appointment of the next chief of army staff would be issued by November 26 before the outgoing Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa retires on November 29. 

The defence minister’s statement comes hours after he informed the National Assembly that the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) has been apprised of his ministry receiving Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s letter in relation to the new chief of army staff’s appointment.

“The process will take two to three days to complete. The excitement will end, after which we will deal with Imran Khan,” he had said earlier today.

“The appointment process for the highest offices in the Pakistan Army has commenced today,” the minister said in the Geo News current affairs programme ‘Capital Talk‘ on Monday.

“The Prime Minister, in a letter addressed to the ministry of defence, sought the names and dossiers for the appointment of the next Army Chief. The ministry has asked the GHQ to send the dossiers along with the nominations.

The PML-N leader lamented that mass hysteria is triggered over the appointment of the army chief in Pakistan, unlike any other country in the world. “Once the matter [the appointment issue] is settled, the political leaders should join hands, sit together, and talk so that the appointment is not politicised in the future,” he emphasised.

When asked why Chairman PTI Imran Khan chose November 26th as the date for the long march, the defence minister stated that Imran Khan may believe President Dr Arif Alvi will not approve the prime minister’s recommendation [for the highest post in the Pakistan Army].

“Imran Khan has also absolved the US of the charge of a foreign conspiracy. He has said that the establishment did not hash out a conspiracy [against his government]. However, he still maintains that they [the establishment] could have averted the conspiracy to topple his government,” Khawaja Asif said.

The PML-N minister said that Imran Khan has legitimised the vote of no confidence with his new statement by letting go of the US and the establishment.

He said that the PTI chief made a business out of the Toshakhana gifts. “A gift is given to honour you. But, this man [Imran Khan] sells his honour,” he stressed.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will determine whether Imran Khan’s helicopter will land in Islamabad or not, he added.