Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that no political leader’s desire for power should be more important than Pakistan’s interests.
“All political parties and leaders are respectable to us. No individual, his politics and his desire for power are above Pakistan,” the military’s spokesperson said during a media briefing at the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi.
The ISPR DG’s comments came in response to a question about purported backdoor talks between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the establishment. The reporter also mentioned that there were reports of a certain “officer” being involved amid talks between the government and the PTI.
He explained that the Pakistan Army has professional and governmental relations with every government. However, he noted that since political parties form governments, it wasn’t “appropriate” to paint this “governmental and professional relation” as political.
“Pakistan Army is a national force and it does not belong to a specific school of thought or party,” the military’s spokesperson said.
Currently, he said, the parties having majority support have made the governments in the centre and provinces. Holding talks among political parties and responding to them is the prerogative of the political parties.
“Nevertheless, it is welcoming that politicians sit together to resolve the matters among themselves instead of through anarchist and violent politics.”
The ISPR DG welcomed the notion of dialogue among politicians to resolve their issues. “It is encouraging that politicians sit together and solve their problems through conversation.”
