Pakistan SC approached to make Gen Raheel a field marshal

Islamabad, Nov 22: Pakistan Supreme Court has been asked to order conferring the title of field marshal on Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif for rendering services to protect national security and safeguarding the frontiers of Pakistan.

The petition was an appeal moved by Sardar Adnan Saleem Khan Mazari - an executive member of the District Bar Association Rawalpindi - against the October 18 judgement of the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench which had rejected the same plea, Dawn reported.

According to the appeal, the high court's judgement was "unlawful and unconstitutional as it was rendered without taking into consideration the merit of the post which was globally recognised and Pakistan was no exception among the comity of nations".

In the appeal, Sardar Mazari cited the history of field marshals and stated that the late President Muhammad Ayub Khan had also served at the same post, which showed that such posts existed in Pakistan.

The federal government through the cabinet division, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the defence ministry were named as respondents in the petition.

Sardar Mazari pleaded that Gen Raheel had "demonstrated visionary leadership to the people of Pakistan as well as the security forces by setting an example as a trailblazer and role model for others by giving new direction and hope for the nation in consonance with the constitutional frontiers of Pakistan".

He contended that Operation Zarb-i-Azb had countered extremist designs of terrorist organisations with a proactive and prudent approach but was still going on and had yet to be completed.

He also highlighted the "Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2016" report which stated that Pakistan recorded a substantial decrease in terrorist activities last year, with 45 per cent fewer attacks and 38 per cent fewer deaths reported.

This was the second consecutive year in which Pakistan has seen reduction in terrorist activities. Terrorism in the country is now at its lowest level since 2006, stated the report which was released by the US-based Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent think-tank.