Army Chief and the Economy
By Col.Riaz Jafri (Retd)
Westridge, Rawalpindi
“Army Chief has the right to comment on the country’s economy, says Abbasi” reads the front page headlines of an English daily of Pakistan. One doesn’t know what would be the reaction of the Interior Minister Mr Ehsan Iqbal and are they both on the same page or not? Apparently not.
Of course the COAS has every right to speak not only on the deteriorating state of the economy but also on other aspects of the governance affecting the security of the country for which he is wholly responsible and answerable to the nation. And, if we wish to talk about the elected representatives and the civilian supremacy etc. then for the information of all, who else in the country has a vote bank larger than that of the COAS, with 9 large constituencies (Corps) each comprising nearly a lac of Pakistani NIC-holding soldiers with the right to vote and spread all over Pakistan from Chitral to Gwadar and Torkham to Dalbandin?
Who represents such a great number of Pakistanis and could speak to protect their interests and rights?
The answer is the COAS.
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