Pakistan PM set to appoint new army chief
Al JazeeraMAR 23 2023
It's best to take Bajwa’s claim that the army intends to cease their unconstitutional interference in politics with a large grain of salt. The military institution is so deeply entrenched in the fabric of Pakistan's politics that it would be near impossible to engineer such a sharp exit. Bajwa's successor will play a key role in reducing tensions between the government and opposition leader Imran Khan due to the decades of meddling by senior military figures in the country's political governance.
While it's true that Pakistan's army has a history of illegitimately interfering in politics, it's clear that Bajwa is using the end of his tenure as an opportunity to openly discuss the truth for the sake of the country's stability. This is a rare and candid admission by a senior leader who is concerned about the potential for ongoing turmoil, and believes that his influence — including through negotiating better relationships between political parties — was motivated by a desire to maintain the functioning of democracy and political health of the nation.