Islamabad : Pakistan’s powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday announced that he will retire as scheduled in November this year, dismissing as “baseless” reports that he may seek an extension due to the ongoing counter-terror offensive.
General Raheel, 59, will complete his three-year term in November and it was being speculated that like his predecessor Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, he may seek another term, especially as the counter-terrorism operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’, started under his command in June 2014, is in a crucial phase, reports PTI.
Army spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa tweeted quoting the army chief as saying that speculation about extension in service are “baseless”. “I don’t believe in extension and will retire on the due date,” General Raheel said, adding that “efforts to root out terrorism will continue with full vigour and resolve.”
General Raheel, Pakistan’s 15th Chief of Army Staff, further said that “Pakistan’s national interest is supreme and will be safe guarded at all costs.”
The operation ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ against militants has so far killed around 3,500 terrorists and has destroyed nearly 1,000 hideouts, according to the Pakistan Army.
