Islamabad:
The military has no interest in cooperating with political parties and should not be drawn into politics, the chief military spokesman said in an interview on Friday, stressing that the institution consistently maintained that politics was the domain of elected representatives.
In an interview with the BBC Urdu, the Director -General, Director -General LT Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, emphasized that the Pakistani army remained focused on his professional responsibility.
“The army has always been aware that politics is the job of politicians. No matter which party is in power, the state represents at the time,” he said. “[Army’s] Allegiance lies with the population of Pakistan, the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and their protection, ”he added.
General Chaudhry said that baseless rumors and assumptions were often spread against the military for political targets. “When Marka-E-Haq came, the army has not fulfilled its responsibility? Has the nation ever felt the absence of the army?” He asked.
He noted that the military had acted in accordance with the directives of elected governments – both at federal and provincial level – on several occasions. He rejected the story that the people of Balochistan distanced from the military and called it an Indian propaganda.
“We are the folk army. Balochistan is part of Pakistan and there is no separation between the two – that is the crown of our nation,” he said. Chaudhry added that both federal and provincial governments worked across different sectors to improve welfare and prosperity for the population of Balochistan.
