1971 war was a political failure not military: Outgoing Pak army chief
“I want to correct some facts here. Firstly, former East Pakistan was a political failure and not a military one,” General Qamar Javed Bajwa said
The 1971 war with Bangladesh was a political failure of Pakistan and not a military one, said outgoing Pak Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
"I want to correct some facts here. Firstly, former East Pakistan was a political failure and not a military one," General Qamar Javed Bajwa said in his final public address as Pakistan's army chief on Wednesday (24 November), reports The Dawn.
He added that the Pak army's performance and actions in Bangladesh during the 1971 war are topics that most people avoided.
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General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that the number of soldiers fighting was not 92,000 but 34,000 and the others were in different government departments.
The Pakistani general also said that those 34,000 soldiers were confronted by an Indian army of 250,000 soldiers and 200,000 members of the Mukti Bahini.
"Against these heavy odds, our army fought bravely and gave exemplary sacrifices which were acknowledged by Indian army chief field marshal Manekshaw," he said.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa has also said that the military has unlawfully meddled in politics for decades and it will no longer do so. He defended Pakistan's most powerful institution, which has come in for criticism, particularly from former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has accused the army of a role in his removal in April.
"In my opinion, the reason for this is the constant meddling by the army in politics for the last 70 years, which is unconstitutional. That is why, since February last year, the military has decided they will not interfere in any political matter," he said.
He added that the military has started its "catharsis" and expressed hope that political parties will also "introspect their behaviour."
"The reality is that in Pakistan, institutions, political parties and civil society – they have all made mistakes. It is time we learn from them and move forward," the Pak general said.
Bajwa will be retiring by the end of the month after commanding the Pakistani army for six years.
He was appointed army chief in 2016 for a three-year tenure, which was extended by another three years after parliament legislated on the tenures of services chiefs on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is expected to announce his successor in the coming days.
