This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital Islamabad and Kashmir region. (AP)

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s parliament on Monday passed legislation extending the term of office of military chiefs from three to five years, despite protests from lawmakers who said it was passed in a hurry without allowing the opposition to comment.

The bill, backed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration, aims to ensure continuity and avoid some of the political turmoil that usually ensues when the army chief is appointed every three years. This also extends the tenure of navy and air force commanders; but these positions have less influence and are less controversial.

The law was passed by the National Assembly and the Senate late on Monday after opposition lawmakers from the party of detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan chanted slogans against the measure. Some of them tore up copies of the bill and threw them at Parliament Speaker Ayaz Sadık for not allowing debate.

A similar protest by lawmakers from Khan’s party followed the bill’s swift passage through the Senate, where Sharif’s party also has a majority. The bill will now go to the president for approval.

Khan, who was ousted by a no-confidence vote in 2022 and served several prison sentences for corruption and other charges, blamed the country’s powerful military for his ouster. Omar Ayub Khan, a senior leader of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), told reporters after the bill was passed that the law was “not good for either the country or the armed forces”.

The military has historically wielded great influence in Pakistan, ruling it for half of its 75-year history.

In November 2022, Sharif selected General Asim Munir as chief of army staff for a three-year term, but this appointment was opposed by Khan. If the bill is approved, Munir’s term will last until November 2027.

The army has been fighting militants in several parts of Pakistan and said early Monday that soldiers had killed six insurgents in separate clashes in the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan.

The army said a militant commander was killed in the first night raid on North Waziristan, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The statement stated that five more insurgents were killed in the second raid on the nearby region of South Waziristan after a group of Pakistani Taliban tried to sneak into Pakistan from Afghanistan. Additionally, 3 militants were injured.

The military also said Pakistan has consistently asked the Afghan Taliban government to ensure effective border management. Islamabad often accuses Kabul of turning a blind eye to militants operating near the border, which Afghan officials deny.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in violence, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It is a separate group but is allied with the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Many TTP leaders and fighters have since found sanctuary in Afghanistan.