Constitutional Bench Rejects Petition Against Extension of Army Chief’s Tenure
Islamabad: The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court has dismissed the petition challenging the extension of the Army Chief’s tenure. The seven-member bench, led by Justice Ameen-ud-Din Khan, heard the case but upheld the objections raised by the Registrar’s office regarding the petition.
The petitioner, Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi, did not appear before the court during the proceedings. As a result, the bench rejected the petition on the grounds of non-presentation, citing lack of follow-up on the case.
The petition had challenged the extension of the Army Chief’s tenure, which was granted following a decision by the federal cabinet. In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Army Act, which allowed for the extension of the term of service chiefs, including the Army Chief, to five years.
Subsequently, the National Assembly and Senate passed the bill with a majority vote, officially endorsing the extension of service chiefs’ tenures.