The 62-year-old General Qamar Javed Bajwa had been at the helm of the 600,000-strong nuclear-armed military from 2016 to 2022. He was granted an extension of three years in August 2019 by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. He was retired in last year.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced General Asim Munir as his successor. Pakistan’s outgoing army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa said before leaving the office that the military has unlawfully meddled in politics for decades and it will no longer do so. In his last address as army chief, General Bajwa defended the country’s most powerful institution, which has come in for criticism, particularly from former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has accused the army of a role in his removal in April last year. Speaking at an event at army headquarters in the eastern city of Rawalpindi, the Ex-Army Chief general wondered why the army in neighbouring India was not criticized by the public. “In my opinion, the reason for this is the constant meddling by the army in politics for the last 70 years, which is unconstitutional,” he said. “That is why, since February last year, the military has decided they will not interfere in any political matter.” He added that the military has started its “catharsis” and expressed hope that political parties will also “introspect their behaviour.” “The reality is that in Pakistan, institutions, political parties and civil society – they have all made mistakes,” Bajwa said. “It is time we learn from them and move forward.” Bajwa also highlighted Pakistan’s precarious economic situation and called on all stakeholders to put aside their egos, work in tandem and learn to accept their victories and losses.
In a speech lasting roughly 10 minutes, General Bajwa spent considerable time on the subject of politics and condemned the outpouring of negativity and harsh criticism towards the military, which has run the country for more than half the time since its independence in 1947. General Bajwa admitted that criticism on the military from political parties and the public is their right but warned against the use of undignified words against the army. “Everybody should keep … in mind that there are limits to this patience,” he said. “I want to overlook this aggressive criticism towards myself and my army because Pakistan is most paramount for all of us.”
Our current Army Chief General Asim Munir and ISPR has also said on number of occasions that institution will be no more biased and will remain neutral in political matters. Body language, speeches and actions of Army Chief General Asim Munir also resembles the firm stance of the institution that no one should seek their assistance and support for their political benefits.
Readers, The army has major stakes in the economy and yields considerable influence in deciding the South Asian country’s policy on foreign affairs and national security. It’s also a reality that no prime minister has ever completed his tenure which itself speaks that how weak the roots of our democracy are.
It’s our irony that when an institution admits its past mistakes and decides to stay neutral in future then these are our political leaders which don’t admit it. They are dying to raise third empire’s figure in their favor. These intentions clearly show that our democracy and political parties are not strong enough. Also they have failed to gain Public’s favor and sympathies that’s why they can’t go to public with confidence on basis of their performances and without favor of strong powers.
Political Parties should have such a strong manifesto and track record of serving the people so that they can go to people easily and with full confidence.
Political parties in our country have lot of weaknesses and they just want to hide their weaknesses behind the umbrella of Establishment which is not good feature of a healthy democracy.
Pak Army is an institution which is protecting our long and complex borders and also tackling in internal fronts. It’s not good for such a great institution to drag them into the politics when they decided to stay out of such controversies. Pak Army is a professional institution and these intentions from few sides might effect on their morale and performance. Politicizing Pak Army is not a good sign in larger interests of the country and this act should be crushed with iron hands.