LAHORE: Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, Law Minister Basharat Raja and former local government minister Aleem Khan have lauded a three-year extension in the service of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

They said Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken an excellent decision keeping in view the Kashmir and regional situation that put Pakistan in the state of war.

The governor said Pakistan was facing many challenges in the wake of the Kashmir issue, Afghan peace process and India’s war hysteria and in such circumstances, extension in the service tenure of the COAS was need of the hour.

Mr Sarwar said India was trying to destroy the region’s peace after getting defeated on every front just to divert attention from Kashmir. He said India was still against the Afghan peace process and was accepting Kartarpur corridor project just because of pressure. He said Pakistan had decided that Kartarpur corridor project would be completed at the given time under any circumstances.

Mr Raja said the efforts of Gen Bajwa with regard to ensuring continuity of democracy and its stability were highly commendable. During the tenure of Gen Bajwa, he said, India had to face great humiliation across the world over staging fake Pulwama incident and the morale of Pakistan Army as well as of nation got elevated.

He said Gen Bajwa also played a pivotal role in strengthening national institutions. He said the COAS was fully competent to confront prevailing challenges at all fronts including Kashmir in a befitting manner. He hoped that the COAS would continue striving so as to make Pakistan Army one of the best and distinguished armed forces of the world.

Former local government minister Aleem Khan said the extension in the service of the COAS would leave a positive impact on country’s security. He said the prime minister’s decision would strengthen the national solidarity.

He said Gen Bajwa would be in a better position to continue the current policies and ensure peace in the region.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2019