Pak Army has nothing to do with Azadi March: ISPR

Director General of the media wing of the Pakistani Army, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Army is engaged in the defence of the country and has no role in the Azadi March by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

In an interview to a TV news channel on Wednesday, he said that the Army works to maintain peace. In 2014 also when Imran Khan was the leader of opposition and organised a sit-in against the Nawaz Sharif government, then also the Army was standing firm with the government.

He said, "This march is a political activity and the armed forces of the country have no role in it. The work we are involved in does not allow us to become a part of any such (political) activity. In a democracy, it is the government who has to tackle such activities."

The Pakistani Army is busy in strengthening national security and it has no time to get involved in such activities, he reiterated.

He said that the statements which he gives are the official statements of the Army.

To a question about the involvement of the Army in elections, he said the army was called on the request of the government for security purposes. The army is an impartial institution and it performs its duty within the domain of the constitution. "Army neither has any role in country's electoral process nor has it any desire to do so," he added.

Though the Pak Army spokesman might be denying any involvement in the Azadi March but political analysts believe that if Prime Minister Imran Khan is adamant on not resigning on the demand of the opposition then he is being backed by the Army.IANS