Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
No Result
View All Result
OrissaPOST - Odisha Latest news, English Daily -
No Result
View All Result

Former Pak general blames political leadership for contributing to the civil-military imbalance

PTI
Updated: March 5th, 2023, 14:01 IST
in International
0
Pak Army

Pic- Anadolu

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on Linkedin

Islamabad: A retired Pakistani general has said he does not attach any credence to former Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s pledge that the powerful Army would remain out of the nations’ politics and blamed the political leadership for contributing to the civil-military imbalance.

Former Lt Gen Haroon Aslam’s remarks came while he was addressing a session on ‘Civil-Military Relations: Co-existence or Confron­ta­tion’ at the Future of Pakistan Conference — hosted by the student union of the London School of Economics — Saturday in London.

Also Read

Donald Trump

Trump to impose 50% tariff on Brazil over Jair Bolsonaro trial

4 hours ago

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol re-arrested over failed martial bid

4 hours ago

“Why did (Imran Khan) give an extension to Gen Bajwa? Why did Asif Ali Zardari give an extension to (Gen Ashfaq Parvez) Kiyani? I believe that the military should stay neutral and not meddle in politics, but remember that you cannot switch it off,” Dawn newspaper quoted Aslam as saying.

He also blamed Pakistan’s political leadership for allowing the military to meddle in politics, saying that while the military was not proactively trying to interfere, it was the “civilian component” that gave importance to the military.

When asked about the long-term applicability of retired Gen Bajwa’s farewell pledge of neutrality from the Army, Gen Aslam did not mince his words.

“I don’t attach any credence to that. He played his innings, then at the end said this. There is no importance of what an outgoing chief says,” he said.

Gen Aslam was the senior-most at the time of former army chief  Kayani’s retirement. Before that, he remained DG military operations and Bahawalpur corps commander.

At the outset of the session, he raised eyebrows by professing that he had voted for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the last election, and would do so again. But in the same breath, he also criticised Khan, as well as other civilian leaders for contributing to the civil-military imbalance.

“If you encourage good civilian leadership, then the military will recoil,” he said, adding that “we have to go by the will of the people”.

“The [civilian] component gives importance to the military and the relationship between the two is a triangle of love, hate and expediency. If we have a score against India, everyone loves the Army. But if there is intervention, everyone hates the Army. It is not the military that is proactive in trying (to interfere), it is a collective thing.”

Woodrow Wilson Centre scholar Michael Kugelman, however, came to the defence of the civilian leadership. “

All roads to Islamabad lead through Pindi. A neutral Army is only possible if politicians decide they don’t need to work with the military. But unfortunately, politicians often don’t have a choice. There is a desire to ensure relations between them and the military are good.”

He said he did not agree with the argument that civilian leaders are corrupt and ineffective, adding that such ideas are harboured by the military.

On the question of who is to blame for Pakistan’s current crisis, Kugelman said: “It is common to point to the economic stability in military regimes with nostalgia, but it is important to remember how critics and dissenters suffered during military rule.”

The military, he recalled, gets a major chunk of the budget even in times of economic distress.

At this, Gen Aslam said that he did not support military takeovers, but opposed singling out the military for the current crisis.

“It is a collective responsibility and a collective failure. There is a gross misunderstanding about the defence budget. It does not eat up the budget without rhyme or reason.”

PTI

Tags: Former Pak generalHaroon AslamQamar Javed Bajwa
ShareTweetSendShare
Suggest A Correction

Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox.

 

OrissaPOST epaper Sunday POST OrissaPOST epaper

Click Here: Plastic Free Odisha

#MyPaperBagChallenge

Subhajyoti Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Anasuya Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Faiza Firdous

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Rajashree Pravati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Adrita Bhattacharya

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ramakanta Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pitabas Tripathy

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Archit Mohapatra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Jyotshna Mayee Pattnaik

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Nishikant Rout

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Bijswajit Pradhan

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Geetanjali Patro

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Subhajyoti Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sarfraz Ahmad

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sitakanta Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Anup Mahapatra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Parbati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Keshab Chandra Rout

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Surya Sidhant Rath

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Arya Ayushman

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Swarit Praharaj

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Saishree Satyarupa

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mandakini Dakua

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pragyan Priyambada

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Vandana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ankita Balabantray

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Manas Samanta

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Aishwarya Ranjan Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mrutyunjaya Behera

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Priyasha Pradhan

December 12, 2019

Archives

Editorial

Toll Sucks Life

Nitin Gadkari
July 9, 2025

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari took everyone by surprise when at a function in Nagpur, where the...

Read more

Bloodline

BJP-Shiv Sena
July 8, 2025

The coming together of the Thackeray cousins – Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena...

Read more

Acknowledge Failure

Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh
July 7, 2025

Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh’s candid revelations about Operation Sindoor at a FICCI event ‘New...

Read more

Politics of Philosophy

AAKAR PATEL
July 6, 2025

The BJP’s constitution (Article 3) says, “Integral Humanism shall be the philosophy of the party.” The party’s membership form has...

Read more
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Developed By Ratna Technology

© 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

  • News in Odia
  • Orissa POST Epaper
  • Video
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Metro
  • State
  • Odisha Special
  • National
  • International
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Horoscope
  • Careers
  • Feature
  • Today’s Pic
  • Opinion
  • Sci-Tech
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs

© 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

    • News in Odia
    • Orissa POST Epaper
    • Video
    • Home
    • Trending
    • Metro
    • State
    • Odisha Special
    • National
    • International
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Editorial
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscope
    • Careers
    • Feature
    • Today’s Pic
    • Opinion
    • Sci-Tech
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs

    © 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST