APROPOS the article ‘Second innings for Gen Bajwa’ (Aug 21). I disagree with the author on a few points. First, his contention: “We are not in a state of war.” Consider the following: an enemy crosses the international boundary and bombards a place in the homeland which is not a disputed territory.

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir our enemy has been continuously trying to probe for the weaker areas of our deployment to determine vulnerable points for future (mis)adventures. The enemy has recently moved armour units west of Amritsar. Our enemy has also without giving Pakistan advance notice let off water from its dams thus inundating our land without meeting the customary international commitments of upper riparians. Aren’t these examples enough that we are in a state of war? Only the last button needs to be pressed.

The second moot point may be debatable. The country is in a situation where many of our well-known leaders have been accused of corruption by the National Accountability Bureau and on several occasions by the judiciary. Then there are instances where the media and many sections of civil society have dubbed other leaders incompetent, inefficient and childish.

In the light of these facts, it seems the government had no option except to seek some support from the quarters where it was available.

Whether the decision was political expediency or the security situation on our borders, the grant of an extension to the army chief is warranted as the job is indeed a stressful one and a new incumbent would have taken a few weeks if not months to settle into the post.

Having said this perhaps a saner course would have been to have granted an extension for a year to give time to decide our future course of action and review the decision later.

Prof Khalid Hassan Mahmood

Karachi

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PRIME Minister Imran Khan giving a three-year extension to Gen Qamar Javed is a sensible decision given India’s aggressive posturing.

I would like to suggest to the prime minister to, perhaps, consider granting an extension in service to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Asif Saeed Khosa.

The CJP has worked quietly to improve our adherence to the course of law, dispense speedy justice to the people, establish ‘models courts’ all over the country, foster amity and order in the ranks of the legal fraternity, and so forth.

I feel with these incumbents in the COAS and CJP positions, the government would be able to focus entirely on the one-point agenda of accomplishing a sustainable economic turn-around before the next elections.

Abbas R. Siddiqi

Lahore

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2019