Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. PHOTO: FILE
Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has called for striking the ‘right balance’ between the requirements of development and defence for ‘meaningful and sustainable progress’.
Speaking to the participants of the Command and Staff Course in Quetta, Gen Kayani stressed that the military needed public support to function effectively.
“No army operates in a vacuum, rather it draws upon the support of the nation to conduct their task in a manner that contributes to the fulfillment of national policies, interests and aspirations,” he remarked. His statement came just days before the historic transfer of power between one civilian government and another is set to conclude.
The incoming Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has already made it clear that it will ensure civilian supremacy in all matters. The army chief’s statement appears to suggest that the country’s powerful establishment may fear the PML-N government’s plans to scrutinise defence spending.
Gen Kayani also said the army should always be prepared to fulfill its responsibility. The army chief emphasised the need to serve the nation with professionalism, dedication and commitment.
“It is the duty of the armed forces to maintain adequate capabilities and readiness to fulfill the tasks assigned,” he added.
Earlier, upon his arrival in Quetta, Gen Kayani was received by Quetta Corps Commander Lt Gen Muhammad Alam Khattak.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2013.
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I will request my brothers and sisters in Pakistan to ponder over what we have earned by fighting three wars. Our elders have been telling us that Muslims,Hindus and Sikhs were living peacefully and have no problem the problem lies with the political and religious leaders. The common man wants good health care system,education facilities and roti, kapda and Makan. We can follow the religion we trust but we must respect all religion because no religion taught violence,Can we not live like good neighbors help each other in the time of any emergencies. The huge funds we are spending on military can be used for providing health care,education and building other facilities. How long we will fight for Kashmir due to our fight the Kashmiri peoples are also suffering if this problem is solved they can also live peacefully. Will this happen in near future.
@ Enlightened The comparison of our civilian leadership with the the one in India seems far fetched. Jawaher Lal Nehru and his colleagues give constitution to India within nine months after Independence and built state institutions.They dismantled feudalism and its mindset to pave the way for the entry of middle class in national politics.They had a long line of neat and clean politicians like Lal Bahder Shastri, Murarjee Desai VP Singh, Atal Behari Vajpai etc.Do we have such people friendly, honest and simple and austere lifestyle loving political class.
Mr. Kayani, a 40 percent share for the armed forces, with another 40 percent for debt servicing, and a fraction of what is left after this for education and health is by no means a right and healthy balance. We don't want such a big army, we want a speedy solution for the Kashmir dispute (India can have it, because the Kashmiris don't want to be Pakistani anymore, they'd rather be free of us both) and a normalization of ties with India which is no more our enemy and has moved past its concern with Pakistan. We are not interested in Pakistani state ideology that is primarily anti-India and little else. We are not interested in such a bloated army that mixes its defense job with commercial interests and affects foreign policy. We also don't need an army that interferes in the affairs of other countries and trains militants and supports militants at home and abroad for "strategic depth" - it has always backfired and is against the interests of the Pakistani people. We want peaceful coexistence with our neighbors, a defeat of militancy in Pakistan with a winning of the hearts and minds of anti-state forces and the incorporation of different marginalized communities into the state and its ideology, and more focus on development. People can flourish with healthcare, education, the promotion of jobs and community building activities and centers, not under the shadow of war and conflict. That's meaningful and right balance.
The General is clearly crossing the red line by making his redresses public which may not go too well with the PM elect who is well known for taking the bull by its horn as happened during his past tenures as PM. This outburst appears to be aftermath of the recent meeting between the two in which NS might have conveyed his mind to him by defining the domains under which military should function vis-a-vis civilian govt functioning who may no longer tolerate any undue interference in its affairs but would also decide defence spending as well as its scrutiny. This is the new Pakistan in which civilian govt shall function as the supreme authority and military should be prepared to take orders from the former without washing dirty linen in public. The same system works all over the world with neighbour India as a perfect example where Generals do not cross swords with their political masters. .
The reiteration of a meaningful and profound statement that has been iterated before. No more strategic liabilities, please and no more confrontation, covert or overt. We have suffered and are suffering the privations of PPP government and it will be better for Pakistan if the Pak Army and PMLN government strike a balance; a 'sine qua non.' Many thanx and Salams to Pakistan