Roving Periscope: Now, Gen Bajwa asks Pak Army to shun politics!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The Pakistani army and politicians never cease to amuse with their tongue-in-cheek comments. The latest joke is: Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has “directed” Pakistani Army to keep off politics!
This directive, according to the media reports, came after the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s allegation that some ISI officials are trying to manipulate the upcoming by-elections in the Punjab Province.
The by-elections for 20 vacant seats of the Punjab Assembly are scheduled for July 17.
Police had recently arrested eight social media activists of PTI for campaigning against General Bajwa.
He issued directions to his commanders and officers, including those in the ISI, to stay away from politics and avoid interacting with politicians, after leaders of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI alleged that some officials of the Army-run intelligence agency were trying to “manipulate” the upcoming by-elections in Punjab.
Earlier, the Pakistan Army had insisted it had nothing to do with politics and would remain apolitical in the future as well. This is when several army officials have, over the last seven decades, ousted elected governments and run the country.
The Army rejected the PTI blaming Brigadier Rashid, the ISI sector commander at Lahore, for involvement in local politics, and claimed he was in Islamabad for a fortnight.
PTI leader and former health minister of Punjab Yasmin Rashid recently named the sector commander and accused him of involvement in politics to manipulate by-elections in Punjab.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, former foreign minister and deputy chairperson of PTI, had also alleged that some ‘invisible forces’ were active in influencing the by-elections in the province against the party.
Recently, Imran Khan also alleged that some of his candidates have complained to him about receiving telephone calls from unknown numbers.
The Pakistan Army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for over half of its 73 years of existence, has wielded enormous power in matters of security, foreign policy, and domestic politics.
A combined opposition, led by the current PM, Shehbaz Sharif, had ousted Imran Khan’s government in April through a no-confidence motion. Khan has since been blaming the US and Pakistani players for his ouster as he pursued an “independent” foreign policy.
While he has been taking out rallies across the Islamic countries demanding immediate elections, his supporters have used social media to target the army for doing nothing to save his government.
Imran Khan has the dubious distinction of being the only Pakistani PM ousted through a no-confidence motion in Parliament.
The Pakistani Army had directly toppled all others through a coup d’état.
