Pakistan’s Supreme Court has asked the government to submit in writing that it will not sack the Army Chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and the head of Inter-Services Intelligence, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
“The government has been asked to give in writing that it has no intention of sacking the Army Chief or the ISI chief. They need to give this assurance within two weeks,” a court official said.
Last Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared before the top court on being summoned for contempt of court as he did not write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, as ordered by the apex court. The corruption cases were withdrawn under the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) by the military regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf in 2007.
Media reports said the government was considering removing Gen. Kayani and the ISI chief as the civil and military leaderships have developed irreparable differences.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez gave the orders after attorney-general Maulvi Anwarul Haq, who appeared on notice, told the court the government had no intention of removing the Army Chief and the ISI head and that they would serve their tenure.
He said the petition against any possible move to sack the military and intelligence leaderships was based on assumptions and hypothesis.
“It would be better if the government submits its stance in writing,” the Chief Justice said.