ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: President General Pervez Musharraf has got an indefinite extension as Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).

“Yes the ministry of defence has extended the president’s tenure till the appointment of the new chief of the army staff”, confirmed president’s chief spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi.

Talking to Dawn here on Saturday, he said that no time has been specified in the extension order of President Musharraf as the army chief. However, he said that it would not be correct to say that the president has himself extended his tenure as the army chief.

The president was to be retired as the army chief on Oct 6, 2001. He was appointed the COAS in the first week of October 1998, when the then army chief Gen Jhangir Karamat resigned following his differences with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.