Pakistan citizen files petition in SC against Nawaz Sharif for naming next Army Chief

A Pakistani resident has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to challenge Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's stated policy of appointing the senior most general as the next Chief of Army Staff.

According to Express Tribune, Shahid Orakzai had appealed against the earlier Islamabad High Court verdict by approaching the apex court with the plea that an ordinary citizen could raise the fundamental issue of appointments of services chiefs.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had dismissed Orakzai's petition saying that the petitioner had no locus standi to challenge the powers vested in the prime minister to appoint services chiefs.

The petitioner has criticised the premier's earlier decisions of appointing two former army chiefs Jehangir Karamat and Pervez Musharraf, the report added.

He blamed the Nawaz's government for Musharraf's dismissal for plunging the country into eight years of dictatorial rule.

According to the petition, the policy of COAS appointments based on seniority is a breach of military laws and the constitution.

The petition further argued that no member of parliament, including the prime minister, can devise a policy which is against the constitution.