Army chief Bajwa laments anti-army narrative, asks political parties to move forward

Islamabad: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa slamed anti-army narrative, urging political parties to set aside labels of "imported" and "selected" to move forward for the sake of the country.

The army chief made these remarks on Wednesday during his speech at the Defence and Martyrs day ceremony, which is held annually at the General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi on September 6 to commemorate the sacrifices of fallen heroes of the 1965 war.

“Today, I am addressing the Defence and Martyrs Day as the army chief for the last time,” Gen Bajwa said at the start of his speech. 

He said he was retiring soon. 

Bajwa said the army had initiated its process of “catharsis” and expected that political parties would follow suit as well and reflect on their behaviour. “This is the reality that there have been mistakes from every institution, including political parties and civil society.”

He was of the view that a true democratic culture had to be adopted in Pakistan by eradicating the climate of intolerance.

"We are in favour of the elected government and not "selected" or "imported" one in next elections." 

The COAS said that armies around the world are seldom criticised, however, Pakistan Army is often subjected to criticism.