PBC opposes move to extend army chief’s tenure

LAHORE: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has expressed concern over the manner in which extension in the tenure of services chiefs is being given through parliament.

“Giving extensions to incumbents in any institution creates perception of indispensability and weakens institutions. Personality-specific legislative and policy measures go against the spirit of a representative democracy. Transitions are important for institution building and creating viable institutions,” said a statement issued by PBC vice chairman Amjad Ali Shah.

It said the legislation process failed to address basic issue regarding the necessity and desirability of extending service of chiefs’ terms in office. The statement said: “Our history is replete with examples of the damage done by extending terms of powerful office-holders. In the third term of a democratic cycle, the mistakes of the past should not be repeated.”

The PBC believed that the doctrine of necessity used to justify and legitimise extraordinary measures should have no place in a democratic dispensation.

It called on all democratic organisations to endorse its stance in the greater national interest.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and AGHS Legal Aid Cell also endorsed the PBC’s statement. “We are also disappointed with political parties’ response. Instead of rushing into a discussion on the procedure for extending the army service chief’s tenure, they should have called for a debate on the need for, and legitimacy of, any extension,” said a joint statement by the two bodies.