Corps commanders meeting: Army brass seeks to ease friction with govt

Nawaz reportedly assures his cabinet will refrain from making ‘unnecessary’ statements on Musharraf’s treason trial.

ISLAMABAD:

Top military commanders on Wednesday sought to ease apparent friction with the civilian government after reportedly being assured by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the members of his cabinet will refrain from making ‘unnecessary’ statements on former president Pervez Musharraf’s treason trial.

Insiders told The Express Tribune that the government quietly informed the military leadership ahead of the corps commanders’ meeting that it had no plan to discredit the army as an institution under the pretext of Musharraf’s trial.

The commanders, who met in Rawalpindi, expressed concerns over ‘dragging’ their institution into such controversial matters and endorsed Gen Raheel’s stance. They agreed, however, not to issue any public statement on the matter.

When approached, a senior security official insisted the army chief had said ‘what he wanted to say.’

The official, while requesting anonymity, said the army had no interest in derailing the democratic process.  However, he cautioned that politicians should not ‘cross limits’ in their criticism.

A senior PML-N leader confirmed that cabinet members had been asked to refrain from making ‘unnecessary statements’ on Musharraf’s trial.

A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) did not say whether the issue was discussed during the corps commanders’ meeting. Instead, it said, “The issue of drawdown of ISAF from Afghanistan with its concomitant implications on the security situation along the bordering region was also discussed,” it added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10^th, 2014.