Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's ouster, his US foreign conspiracy rhetoric which contradicts with Army's standing, and the country's troubled polity have all placed the military in an uneasy spot which is now trying to do damage control and recover the predominance of its own role in national affairs.
The Director-General of the Pakistani Army media wing, ISPR, Major General Babar Iftekhar urged Khan to desist from repeating the conspiracy charge in public. The officer stressed that Army is neutral. The officer further noted that the Army plays no role in the country's political affairs. The Army vows that it will continue to support the "democratic institutions", reported Al Arabiya.
After Imran Khan's 'foreign conspiracy' accusation against the US, the DG attempted to clear the choked diplomatic channels with Washington, the biggest benefactor of Pakistan and of the Army itself.
The DG, ISPR while siding with the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa cleared the air saying that he (Bajwa) never "sought further extension (from Khan) and even if offered (by the Shehbaz Sharif Government) he will not accept it".
Another bone of contention between ex-PM Imran Khan and the Army is the disagreement over the posting of Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed as the next ISI chief. The military would have been uncomfortable with Khan's defiance and abusing legal and Constitutional processes meant to vote him out, till the top judiciary stepped in to apply the corrective, reported Al Arabiya.
The Army must plan its strategy as politicians are preparing for the elections. Bajwa must oversee the political parties and come November, leave in glory.
( With inputs from ANI )
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