PMO receives six names for military appointments.

ISLAMABAD -- In a late night development, the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Tuesday confirmed that it forwarded a summary containing the names of six senior most lieutenant generals to the Ministry of Defence that will pave the way for smooth transition in the army top command.

'[The] GHQ has forwarded the summary for the selection of CJCSC and the COAS, containing names of 6 senior most Lt Gens, to MoD,' reads an a tweet shared on an official handle of the military's media wing late Tuesday night.

Moreover, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif later confirmed in a tweet in the wee hours of Wednesday that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has received the summary from the defence ministry. The minister expressed the hope that the remaining procedure would also be completed soon.

Earlier, when the reports emerged that a summary had been received by the PM Office, the government was quick to deny it. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the summary regarding the army chief's appointment had not been received by the Prime Minister's House so far.

"The statement attributed to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is incorrect," she said in a tweet, adding the speculation on the matter should be avoided. She said information would be shared whenever the summary was received.

The ISPR brought some clarity to the confusion, as the summary had been received by the defense ministry, which would now send it to the PM Office on Wednesday.

The ISPR statement didn't mention the names of potential candidates. However, it is believed that the list includes Lt General Asim Munir, Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Lt General Azhar Abbas, Lt General Numan Mahmud, Lt General Faiz Hameed and Lt General Muhammad Amir.

The prime minister is now set to pick two generals from the list to promote them to the rank of four-star and then appoint one as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the other as the army chief.

Earlier on Tuesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the decision to appoint the army chief would be announced within the next 48 hours, saying the summary would reach the PM Office in the next 24 hours and the prime minister was expected to choose the new military chief in the next 24 hours. 'It will take a total of 48 hours,' he said.

The crucial appointment continues to dominate national discourse for the last few days despite appeals by the government ministers not to create unnecessary hype.

On Tuesday, there were a flurry of meetings during...