Asif made the comments while speaking to journalists outside the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The defence minister said he hoped the appointment will be appointed by Thursday. He said other forces part of the governing coalition had also been taken into confidence.
The defence minister said he had no knowledge of whether a summary on the appointment of the COAS featured senior-most military functionaries. He also claimed no cognisance of pertinent Articles on the appointment when queried if the law allowed consultations on the matter.