I do not believe in extension, will retire on due date: COAS

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has said that he will retire from service when his three-year term ends, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced Monday, ending weeks of speculation that the tenure of Army chief was likely to be extended.

In messages posted on Twitter, DG ISPR Lt-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said that rumours about an extension in the service of the Army chief were baseless.

"Pakistan Army is a great institution. I don't believe in extension and will retire on the due date," the DG ISPR quoted the Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif as saying.

"Efforts to [root] out terrorism will continue with full vigor and resolve. Pakistan's national interest is supreme and will be safe guarded at all costs," said Gen Raheel Sharif.

General Raheel Sharif is set to retire from service in November this year.

Rumours had been circulating in Islamabad and Rawalpindi that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to offer extension to Army Chief General Raheel Sharif. A section of the media claimed that the Army Chief had not yet accepted the offer but he may do so, with reports claiming that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also playing his role in this regard.

But Gen Sharif’s announcement today puts an end to weeks of speculation that his term would extend longer than November 29, his date of retirement.

The country's past two military chiefs had sought extensions of their terms instead of stepping down.

General Pervez Musharraf and General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani shared the office of Chief of Army Staff between them for almost 16 years, with Musharraf remaining Army Chief for almost ten years. 

Gen Sharif took over as Chief of Army Staff from Gen Kayani, who stepped down on Nov 29, 2013 after serving six years at the top military slot. Raheel Sharif's appointment was approved by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Nov 27 the same year.

Gen Raheel Sharif has been instrumental in leading Pakistan’s fight against extremism, militancy and terrorism in the form of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which was launched after a deadly terrorist attack on Karachi's Jinnah International airport and the failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.