ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif on Monday began his farewell visits to military units ahead of the end of his tenure on November 29 even as the defence minister said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would select the next chief.

The development squelched speculation that General Sharif may be given an extension in the face of tensions with India and differences between the civil and military leadership over issues such as countering terrorism.

The army chief will send a list of the senior-most generals to Prime Minister Sharif for selecting the next army chief, defence minister Khawaja Asif said. “The prime minister will decide on a name after first consulting the chief of army staff, colleagues and cabinet members,” Geo News quoted him as saying.

As far back as January, General Sharif had made it clear he would not seek an extension. He started his farewell visits to army units from Lahore, the military’s media arm said in a statement. He addressed a gathering of soldiers at Lahore Garrison and said the accomplishment of peace and stability was no ordinary task.

Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the army’s campaign against militants, had resulted in a “more secure and stable Pakistan with a sense of greater hope and direction” the army chief said. “It was our sacrifices and joint national resolve that helped us in offsetting all odds against our country. We are fully prepared to respond to any challenge and no one could dare cast an evil eye on Pakistan,” he said.

The tensions between the civil and military leadership could still play a role in the choice of the next army chief. The race having narrowed down to four generals: Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday, commander of Bahawalpur-based XXXI Corps, Lt General Zubair Hayat, Chief of General Staff, Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad, commander of the Multan-based II Corps, and Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, who heads the army’s training and evaluation wing.