Pak claims Army not interfering in Indo-Pak ties

Istanbul: Pakistan and India will be breaking the ice on Monday as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visits India on a two day trip. Invited by India’s Prime Minister in-waiting, Narendra Modi, both are expected to have one-on-one meetings to discuss major issues and allegations that have absorbed any composite dialogues between the two nations.  

The delay in Pakistan’s decision in accepting Modi’s invitation was believed to be because of the increased and critical stretch between Pakistani government and the Pakistani military establishment. Major anti-government campaigns on electronic media and opposition political parties have been up in full pace across the country, which blame the government of supporting defamation campaign against Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Analysts believed that Pakistan Army has stopped or is not supportive of Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India because of its tensions on the Line of Control (LoC) bordering with India. But Senator Hafi Pervaiz Rasheed, Federal Minister of Information and Broadcast has brushed aside all criticism of any problems between the institutions and said that Pakistan Army fully supports PML-N government and does not interfere in Indo-Pak ties.

“The army understood national interest and was with the government to safeguard it. The army had never intervened to sabotage Pakistan-India relationship and I am sure the army would not do it in future too.” the Information Minister maintained.

Emphasizing the importance of Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India, the Information Minister said the opportunity will not only be a good starter in Indo-Pak dialogue, but will also be an opportunity for Pakistan to exchange views with other SAARC countries.

“Pakistan wants resolution of disputes with India through dialogue. Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is going to form the government in India and make policies for the next five years. Pakistan will have to talk to the new Indian government.” said Pervaiz Rasheed.

Referring to the past incidents of terrorism, Kargil, and LoC tensions between India and Pakistan, Pervaiz Rasheed said that there is a dire need to move forward and work towards a better future of new generations of Pakistan and India, leaving the bitter past behind.

But on the Kargil issue, the Information Minister took a strong stand, calling Kargil to be “Musharraf’s adventure”. He said it was not the entire army but an act of one individual, Former President General Retired Pervez Musharraf, who toppled Nawaz Sharif government and gained control as dictator through a military coup in Pakistan.

Pervaiz Rasheed went ahead saying that it was because of the Kargil adventure that Musharraf “touched the knees” of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Kathmandu.

“It was not the entire army but just one individual – former dictator Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf – who first planned an adventure on Kargil and later touched the knees of Vajpaee in Kathmandu.”

Relating Nawaz led government with Musharraf’s actions, Pervaiz Rasheed said that Nawaz Sharif believed in shaking hands rather than touching knees.

While Pakistan government has used Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India as one reason to mend its ties with the military establishment, it has also hinted towards a very rigid and strong stance on Musharraf, who has been dealing with cases against him in Pakistan and is believed to be kept away from civil trial by the military establishment.