KARACHI: Terming the gossip, debate and speculation over the upcoming appointment of the chief of army staff “unfortunate”, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday warned that the national obsession with this particular office would not contribute to the stability of our democracy, nor would it help the nation to grow.

Talking to reporters after attending a ceremony at the Dow University of Health Sciences’ (DUHS) Ojha Campus, Mr Bhutto-Zardari was quite upfront with his views, even criticising leaders from the ruling coalition who were constantly discussing the army chief’s appointment in the public domain and on national media.

“It’s so unfortunate that for a quite long time, this appointment of COAS is being discussed,” he said to a question about the recent remarks of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s “consultation” over the choice of the new chief.

“We are witnessing totally unnecessary politics on this subject. Whether these people are in the ruling parties or in the opposition, we should not do this. We should keep our national interest as our priority. His [Imran Khan] politics actually revolve around this issue [COAS appointment], and let me say that until our politics don’t come out of this subject, our democracy will not get stronger and we won’t grow as a nation.”

He reiterated that any decision on these lines would reflect the government’s resolve to stick with the Constitution.

IDEAS inaugurated

Earlier, the foreign minister inaugurated the 11th edition of the IDEAS Defence Expo 2022 at Karachi Expo Centre, where he was the chief guest. In his inaugural address, Mr Bhutto-Zardari showed the government’s willingness to have “meaningful dialogue” for “peace and harmony in the region”. Although he did not name any country, it was understood that he could have been referring to India.

“Pakistan, being a responsible state, is always committed to play its role for international peace, stability and order,” he said.

“The government of Pakistan always believes in meaningful dialogue on the basis of equality not only to resolve bilateral issues but also to give a chance to peace and harmony in the region. At our end, we in collaboration with our partners are steadfast to this unflinching commitment for peace and stability in the world.”

He called IDEAS “a regional gateway” for international manufacturers and suppliers to explore new avenues of defence cooperation through joint ventures, outsourcing and collaboration. The country’s industry, he said, has reached the threshold of quality and reliability wherein its products are competing in the international market.

Upon his arrival, Maj-Gen Muham­­mad Arif Malik, director general of the DEPO, welcomed the foreign minister. Mr. Bhutto-Zardari also took a round of the stalls and exhibition halls and inaugurated new inventions of the Pakistan Defence Industry, Global Industrial Solutions and National Radio Telecommun­ica­tion Corpora­tion, according to a press release.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2022