When Pakistan is facing crashing economy and the political turmoil is rapidly growing, current Pak Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa is set to retire this week, leaving behind a ‘divided Pakistan.’
Analyst Dr Sakariya Kareem said, “Bajwa is leaving the country deeply divided with Imran Khan stoking up political ire over the army at every given opportunity-rarely has been the most powerful institution in the country riddled with criticism and humiliation since the 1971 war.”
It is being said that Bajwa is leaving behind the nation and its army divided. He took over as the Chief Army Staff in 2016.
Bajwa in his last address at the Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony struck a confessional note; he said that the Pakistan army is subjected to criticism whereas the other armies in the world are seldom criticized.
He said, “I think the reason for that is the army’s involvement in politics,” while admitting that major reason of the public anger for the army is due to its political role.
The departing chief stated that the army had started its “catharsis” process and anticipated that political parties would do the same and consider their actions. Lessons should be learned from such errors, according to Bajwa, so that the country can advance.
“The biggest takeaways from Pakistan Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s Nov 23 farewell speech are a virtual admission of failure of GHQ experiment of imposing Imran Khan as its ‘proxy’ prime minister in 2018, and an announcement that the army would henceforth keep away from such political engineering,” according to think tank Policy Research Group (POREG).
In an editorial, Dawn report said that Bajwa’s successor has his work cut out for him.
“While the military is professing that it is apolitical — something we have heard in the past as well — the next chief will quickly realise that remaining apolitical is easier said than done,” it added.