ISLAMABAD: General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Pakistani chief of army staff (COAS), on Thursday visited the Sialkot and Mangla garrisons as part of his farewell visits to various formations as he prepares to retire at the end of the month.

Bajwa has been the army chief of Pakistan since November 2016. He is scheduled to retire on November 29 this year following the final day of his second three-year term as army chief.

“COAS met officers and men at both locations [Sialkot and Mangla] and addressed the troops,” the army’s media wing said in a statement.

“COAS appreciated formations for their excellent performance during various operations, training and natural calamities. COAS advised troops to keep serving the nation with same zeal and commitment no matter what the circumstances.”

The selection of the new army chief has been mired in controversy in Pakistan in recent months, with widespread speculations that Bajwa might take a second extension, though the military has repeatedly said he would retire on time.

Ex-premier Imran Khan, ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence this April, has since criticized the army, and its chief, for not blocking his ouster and allowing his rivals led by now Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who he considers corrupt, to come to power. The military says it remained apolitical in the transition.

Following Khan’s ouster, anti-military Twitter trends and posts calling on Bajwa to resign have become common in a country where the military was long feared and for decades ruled either through coups or as the invisible guiding hand in politics.

The criticism of the military had become so widespread in recent weeks, particularly after the mysterious killing of a pro-Khan Pakistani journalist in Kenya, that the head of Pakistan’s powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), made a rare public appearance last month to question Khan’s motives behind anti-army remarks and portraying Bajwa as a “traitor” among his followers.

This was the first time in Pakistan’s history that the head of the ISI has addressed a media briefing. Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum was approved as ISI chief in October last year and has since never made any public appearances or comments.

The DG ISI is one of the most important and powerful posts in Pakistan, at the intersection of domestic politics, the war on militancy and Pakistan’s foreign relations.

In remarks to journalists, Anjum, who was dressed in civilian clothing, said he could not remain silent while the military was being “targeted for no reason.”