Gen Bajwa bids adieu to more formations on farewell tour.

ISLAMABAD -- The army on Thursday once again tried to put to rest any speculation that Army Chief Gen

'General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited Sialkot and Mangla garrisons as part of his farewell visits to various formations,' ISPR said in a statement.

On Thursday, the army chief met officers and men at both locations and addressed the troops. He appreciated formations for their excellent performance during various operations, training and natural calamities. The COAS advised troops to keep serving the nation with same zeal and commitment no matter what the circumstances.

Earlier, upon his arrival at Sialkot, the COAS was received by Lieutenant General Muhammad Aamer, while Lieutenant General Ayman Bilal Safdar greeted him at the Mangla garrison.

Read more: Who will be the next army chief?

Gen Bajwa is retiring on Nov 29 at the end of his extended tenure. He had several months ago indicated that he planned to retire this year.

His retirement plan was later confirmed by ISPR on at least a couple of occasions and the general had himself in last few months twice made it clear that he had no intentions to carry on - once during his visit to the United States and then again, while speaking at the National Security Workshop at National Defense University.

But no one was ready to believe it, mostly because of the prevailing uncertainty in the political domain. Doubts have been so strong that even former prime minister Imran Khan, when faced with vote of no confidence, suspected that the political move against him was linked...