Tension in Pak Army? Bajwa Losing Confidence? Big Questions in Corridors of Power | Exclusive

Is there a drama unfolding in the Pakistan Army? Is that the reason behind the dramatic changes in the behaviour of its chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa?

Holding of two Formation Commanders’ Conference (FCC) within seven weeks – a rarity in the history of Pakistan Army – by Bajwa hints at tension, insiders told CNN-News18 exclusively.

The 80th FCC was held on June 8 and the last FCC was held on April 12, approximately seven weeks ago.

A retired Lieutenant General on condition of anonymity said: “In the 75 years since independence, Pakistan Army has summoned only 78 FCCs from 1947 to March 2022, which means one FCC a year. The FCC has annual promotion and other operational agendas. Two special FCCs were summoned during war time. Since the regime changed, General Bajwa has summoned two FCCs without any particular agendas like we had witnessed in the previous ones, which is beyond thinking or something else and rare.”

On June 6, another unusual presser was held, where some ex-army officers demanded the resignation from Bajwa and also accused him of involvement in the regime change and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ouster.

Hence, the timing of the FCC is important, feel sources.

Meanwhile, since March 15, Bajwa has not held a Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC), which is a monthly event.

News18 lists the questions being discussed in Pakistan’s power corridors after the FCC:

1. Why is General Bajwa not calling the Corps Commanders’ Conference? Who is he afraid of?
2. Why has the Army’s annual promotion board not been held still? Why was it put on hold since the first week of April?
3. What’s the future of Former DG ISI and Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Faiz?
4. Why are mixed signals still coming from the establishment to the politicians?
5. Why have the overdue major decisions not been taken yet?
6. Was the FCC face-saving or an attempt to gain confidence for Bajwa within the institution to give a clear message to those who are actively campaigning against him?
7. Is the resentment among Corps Commanders and that they might ask the Army chief to resign behind the avoiding of CCC? Corps commanders have no way to force his resignation. However, it could be a different story if they decide to go rogue, which was a question the retired Lieutenant General, too, had.

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