ISLAMABAD - Details have emerged about politicians’ meeting with military leadership. The meeting was held before the All Parties Conference the other day. All main political leaders including Mian Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Sheikh Rasheed were present in the meeting while Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and DG ISI Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed also attended the huddle.

This meeting was aimed at creating consensus to make Gilgit-Baltistan a province, however, elections in GB, NAB and other issues also came under discussion during the huddle. Highly placed sources in military said that army chief expressed his resolve to keep assisting the civil administration. Chief of Army Staff said army had no direct or indirect connection with political affairs of the country and the military should be kept away from these issues.

He said army did not want to take responsibility of elections. Holding of elections is the sole responsibility of election commission, caretaker government and civil administration, he was of the view. In past whenever elections were held, objections were raised.

So the armed forces will only discharge security duty and that too in the areas where civil administration will deem it necessary to maintain law and order. Upon this, one of the political leaders said, “This is music to my ears.” During the meeting one of the politicians pointed out prime minister’s statements which were insulting according to him. On this, the army chief said all political leaders issue statement against each other. He said political leaders should settle their issues themselves and keep army away from it.

 NAB law was also came under discussion during the meeting. However, the army leadership made it clear that armed forces had no meddling in election reforms, NAB and other political affairs. It was political leadership who had to deal with these matters, the army leadership added. If NAB law needed to be amended, political leaders should join hands to change it. The army chief said that there was no threat to democracy in the country and the system will keep on working.