Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), demanded on Saturday that the Army Act of 1952 be repealed in order to remove the provision extending the tenure of former army head General (ret.) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The former prime minister highlighted that it shouldn't have been done in an interview with a private television network, saying "The exceptional process of the extension's legislation has been rendered commonplace."

The tenure extension given to the former chief of the army staff Gen (retd) Bajwa under the Army Act of 1952 in January 2020 was also viewed as a "mistake" by Abbasi.

Gen. (Ret.) Bajwa was given a three-year extension in service by the previous prime minister Imran Khan on August 19, 2019. He was originally scheduled to retire on November 29, 2019, at the conclusion of his predetermined tenure.

The government decree was stopped by the Supreme Court on November 28, 2019, citing the absence of a legislation extending the tenure of an army chief.

Although the government promised that parliament will enact laws on the extension/reappointment of an army head within six months, the top court still gave General (retd) Bajwa a six-month extension.

After the parliament passed a bill to resolve the issue pertaining to the extension of the army chief's tenure, the notification extending General (retd) Bajwa's tenure was ultimately issued on January 28, 2020.

In a statement regarding the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act, 2020, the top PML-N leader stated that he thought the amendment was "a mistake from day one."

A sitting army chief may be reappointed under the amended act for another three-year term, and the appointment is now final and cannot be overturned in the future.

The extension was "already approved and the ex-COAS had already accepted it when the legislation was enacted," the former prime minister continued.

"At that time, not legislating the extension was not in the best interests of the nation. But now, the legislation that gave the prime minister the power to extend deadlines had to be revoked," he remarked.

"Imran Khan, the country's then-prime minister, extended the deadline without consulting anyone. It was a mistake to amend the law after the extension, the senior PML-N official remarked.

One party cannot make amendments. All parties should come to an agreement, he said. Khan made the decision in a hurry, according to Abbasi, who claimed that it should have been made in November 2019. "The military will demand that the amendment be repealed,"

When asked about the former army chief's political meddling, Abbasi responded, "Playing politics in the country was neither Bajwa sahib's nor Imran [Khan] sahib's responsibility."

The facts of the case are unpleasant. To present the truth to the populace, a truth commission had to be established, according to Abbasi. Additionally, he stressed that everyone's purpose is to improve the state of the nation and that politics is not an adversarial endeavour.

"The effects are bad when the establishment meddles in the affairs of the nation. Lessons should be drawn from past intervention outcomes, he said, adding that meddling in domestic matters was done in a variety of ways and strained relations.

Abbasi emphasised that the institutions must adhere to the constitution's restrictions, adding that breaking the law or the constitution causes issues for the nation.

Pakistan needs to take lessons from its past.

The PML-N leader responded to a query by stating that Afghanistan is an independent nation and that relations between Islamabad and Kabul are enduring and historic.

He continued, "We ought to maintain Afghanistan's status as an independent nation. The former prime minister added that dialogue and negotiation go hand in hand and that Pakistan should learn from its mistakes.

The PML-N leader stated that the nation whose soil is utilised against any other nation should take action [against the offenders] without specifically mentioning Afghanistan.

Trade with India would not be allowed, according to the previous prime minister, unless New Delhi restored Kashmir's special status as an occupied territory.

Abbasi stated that the coalition administration intended to buy oil, gas, and electricity from Russia while emphasising the need to put national interest above political.

He emphasised that the IMF agreement was broken by the former prime minister Khan, saying that Pakistan would have defaulted if the PML-N government had not acted quickly to "rescue the country".

He said, "Difficult decisions are made in the interest of the country, not the IMF. Khan's errors from the previous four years could not be corrected in a single year, according to Abbasi.

He continued, "Restoring the nation's economy will take time."