Elected govt doesn’t get a free pass: COAS

ISLAMABAD:

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir has urged the youth of the country to carefully elect their future representatives without being influenced by the use of money or propaganda as he describes social media as “vicious media.”

“The elections will be held on February 8. People should carefully choose their representatives without selling their votes for Rs5,000,” General Munir said on Wednesday while speaking to a gathering of students from various public and private sector universities.

The COAS spoke candidly about the prevailing political situation, governance conditions, divisions in society, and the growing influence of social media on people, particularly the youth.

During his address, the army chief emphasized that incompetent people should not be elected, and lawmakers should be held accountable after the elections.

To a question, General Munir said a five-year constitutional term does not give a license to a political government to misgovern for five years.

“Should political parties be allowed to break Pakistan? Should people keep waiting for the end of the five-year term?” he asked in response to a question about the inability of political governments in the country to complete their five-year terms.

Without naming the PTI, the military chief said: "If a government was dislodged by the majority members of the National Assembly through constitutional means, then why did it become an issue?”

He said the dislodged political party did not remain within the system and opted to take to the streets by resigning from parliament.

The COAS said the current constitutional arrangement does not ensure the accountability of lawmakers before the end of their terms. “If the Constitution is amended and more than 50% of the voters of a constituency can vote to unseat a sitting member, then you will see these politicians performing.”

He said the single goal of all the political parties is to come into power. Those who are in power want to retain it as long as possible, and those who are not in power want to grab it as soon as possible.

“No political party comprises 100% saints or 100% thieves because they are a reflection of our society,” he said, adding that “this also applies to all the institutions of Pakistan.”

Role of Social Media

The military chief urged the youth to research before believing anything shown on social media.
“Governance cannot be performed virtually. It has to be performed on the ground. So do not make your decisions based on a six-inch mobile screen,” he advised.

Read: COAS witnesses firing of air defence systems

The COAS said social media is vicious media. The social media service is produced to create chaos and divisions in society. The element of inaccuracy on social media is 95%.The COAS asked the youth to shun despondency, referring to the historic role played by youth in the creation and development of Pakistan. He exhorted them to participate in building the nation through discipline, honest toil, and a genuine quest for knowledge.

Westernization of Society

He reminded the youth about the reasons behind the creation of Pakistan.

“If we want to adopt Western civilization, then why did we get rid of Hindu civilization?” he questioned while urging the country’s youth not to blindly follow the West.

He advised young people to build character for the good of society. “You have earned your degrees, now it is time to build your character.” He said people want governance of Hazrat Umar’s era, but they do not have the character of that era.

He appealed to the youth to end divisions within themselves and show unity, arguing that the gap between ground realities and expectations was creating hatred in society.

To a question, the army chief said it was the responsibility of the politicians to hold political dialogue, as any such dialogue cannot be initiated by the institutions. He said freedom of expression is guaranteed in the Constitution but with reasonable restrictions.

To a question about brain drain from Pakistan, the army chief urged the youngsters to strike a balance between materialism and progression. “But if you quit Pakistan, then quit forever and do not come back to grab opportunities,” he added.

Army Highest Taxpayer

He said the army is the highest taxpayer in Pakistan, as half of the budget allocated to the armed forces goes back to the government in the form of various taxes. “With the rest of half, we run our affairs, and you will not find any army in the world running at such a low budget,” he said.

The COAS said the military does not get any grant from the government for the Combined Military Hospitals (CMH) and the Defense Housing Authority (DHA). Some people criticize the CMH and the DHA but want to be treated in the military hospitals and live in the DHAs, he said.

He said Pakistan has $10 trillion worth of reserves in the shape of mines, minerals, and rare earth metals, compared to just $128 billion in foreign debt. He said these resources would be augmented by the Green Pakistan Initiative–a military-run project to end the country’s reliance on imported food and make it self-sustainable.

The cotton production this year increased to 13 million bales from last year’s 5 million bales, while the rice production has also doubled, he added. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar also attended the youth conference.