Will Deal With Imran Khan After Army Chief Appointment: Pak Minister

Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif has warned opposition leader and former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that the coalition government will deal with him, after the completion of the appointment process of the new Army chief.

"The process will complete in two to three days. The excitement will end, after which we will deal with Imran Khan," the Pakistan defence minister was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.

He made these remarks on the floor of the Pakistan National Assembly, hinting at the formal announcement of the key appointment within the next three days.

This comes after the process to appoint the new army chief started on Monday as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote a letter to the country's Defence Ministry for a summary of the potential candidates.

Earlier in a tweet, Khawaja Asif said the process had started and would be completed soon after fulfilling all the constitutional requirements.

"The process of appointment to the highest positions of Pakistan Army has started today, God willing, soon the appointments will be completed as per the constitutional requirements," he tweeted.

Notably, the tenure of incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will end on November 29. However, Pakistan's new army chief will likely be appointed before November 27, as per the Dawn report.

Earlier, Pakistan's Defence Minister Asif said that the appointment process for the new army chief will begin on Monday and the appointment will take place soon. He further said that the government "cannot ignore the importance of the army in the system."

Earlier on November 18, former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and leader of Imran Khan's PTI, said that he strongly believed in the promotion process in the army.

He further stated that all three-star generals were "equal and fully qualified" to be the Chief of Army Staff.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)