Pak-Army determined to remain political despite ‘negative propaganda’ and ‘misleading narrative’: General Bajwa

Dubai: (Web Desk) Outgoing army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said the Pakistan Army would implement on its decision and remain determined to remain apolitical despite “negative propaganda” and “misleading narrative”. He said “The armed forces have always played its role in overcoming internal conflicts and that the forces also maintained balance in the international politics through military diplomacy,”

Furthermore he was of the view that some elements criticized the army for being apolitical, but this tradition will help democracy prevail and flourish in Pakistan and promote political stability. General Qamar Bajwa said the relations between the military and the people of Pakistan would also further improve after the Pakistan Army becomes apolitical. He said the armed forces had to face severe criticism over playing “role” in the country’s politics.

According to the Army Chief Qamar Bajwa, “I believe that public support and affinity towards the armed forces tends to erode when the military is seen to be involved in political affairs, and, therefore, I considered it prudent to shield Pakistan Army from the vagaries of politics in Pakistan. Despite some criticism and undue vilification of the armed forces through mass propaganda and meticulously crafted false narratives, the institutional resolve to remain apolitical will remain steadfast. I am certain that this political quarantine of the armed forces will auger well for Pakistan in the long term by fostering political stability and strengthening the Army-to-people bond.”

Relations with Gulf: Regarding Pakistan’s relations with the GCC, the army chief said: “Military diplomacy is complementary to Pakistan’s foreign policy and plays its due role in fostering Pakistan’s bilateral relations with other countries, including in the Middle Eastern region.”

Moreover “Our intimate engagements with the Arab countries at the leadership level have continuously helped nurture the long-standing ties and translate them into practical cooperation in areas of common interests.” Bajwa said he foresaw a very robust and broad-based relationship with Arab brothers in future, which remained exclusive and independent of their bilateral relations with other countries.

Major challenges: The outgoing army chief said Pakistan’s western neighbor Iran’s peculiar geo-strategic orientation had been a source of concern for the international community; however, Pakistan has always desired peaceful and friendly relations with our Muslim neighbor and tried to maintain a positive working relationship.

Meanwhile on the internal front, he said, Pakistan’s successful counter-terrorism campaign had turned the tide of terrorism and “we continue to make meaningful efforts to overcome the menace of extremism and residue of terrorism”.

As per details, “Streaks of political intolerance in our society are a worrisome new trend; we will keep striving for a society which is tolerant, rational and does not discriminate on the basis of political orientation, faith, ethnicity or creed.”