COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in his last address as Army Chief, asserted that the army would not break in on the political matters of the country.
Bajwa stated that the army’s interference in politics has been a major cause of criticism lately. Because of the criticism of the masses, the army had halted intruding into the country’s politics since February.
The Army Chief further stated that it was a matter of pride for him that he remained the commander of one of the greatest forces on earth for 6 years. The main task of the army is to protect the geographical boundaries of the country, but the Pakistan Army always goes above and beyond its capacity to serve its nation, he added.
Reminding the services that the Army has brought to the country, COAS stated that we have invariably witnessed the efforts of the security forces of Pakistan. Be it the case of Reko diq or combating Covid, the loss of FATF or the inclusion of the country in the white list, the integration of FATA or the fencing of the border, the provision of cheap gas from Qatar or the issuance of loans from friendly countries, eradicating locusts or conduction of relief operations during floods, the army has always served the nation beyond its mandate and will proceed with doing so in the future.
The Army Chief further phrased that he desired to talk about a subject that people usually avoid speaking of and that was the performance of the security forces in former East Pakistan in 1971. He plainly remarked that losing East Pakistan was not a military, but a political failure.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in his last speech as the Army Chief, also paid homage to those who have offered their lives for their country.