Corps commanders want crisis resolved politically
01 September, 2014
RAWALPINDI: While reaffirming support to democracy, the Corps Commanders Conference on Sunday reviewed with serious concern the existing political crisis and the violent turn it has taken, and called for its political resolution.
The conference, presided over by Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, held at General Headquarters Sunday night, observed that further use of force would only aggravate the problem.
According to the ISPR, it was once again reiterated that the crisis should be resolved politically without wasting any time and without recourse to violent means. The conference affirmed that the army remains committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state and will never fall short of meeting national aspirations.
Pakistan Army corps commander conference has reaffirmed the support to democracy and stressed over the need of finding political solution of the current stand-off between the federal government, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif presided over the Corps Commander Conference held at General Headquarters (GHQ) on Sunday which lasted for about four hours.
According to ISPR, the conference expressed serious concern over the existing political crisis and the violent turn it has taken, resulting in large-scale injuries and loss of lives. "The army remains committed to playing its part in ensuring security of the state and will never fall short of meeting national aspirations," the press release stated. General Raheel Sharif took the commanders into confidence over his meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, PTI chief Imran Khan and PAT chief Tahirul Qadri last week.
The critical meeting, which was scheduled to be held on Monday morning, was pushed up to Sunday in light of rapidly unfolding events. The situation in Islamabad turned critical after the clashes began late on Saturday and led to at least three deaths and countless injuries by Sunday night. The meeting of the army commanders has a serious bearing on the prevailing scenario, given the fact that the military had engaged in "mediating" the crisis between the government and PAT, PTI.
In the wake of the tense situation in the capital, army has cancelled its Defence Day ceremony scheduled to be held in GHQ Rawalpindi. Sources said federal ministers and all three services chiefs were due to attend the event that was scheduled for Sunday in the GHQ auditorium in connection with Defence Day (September 6).
Invitations were also sent to the parliamentarians to attend the Defence Day gathering. The violence, which began late Saturday and continued early Sunday, erupted after around 25,000 people marched from parliament to the Prime Minister's House, where some attempted to remove barricades around it with cranes.
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