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Pakistan Army is fully behind democratic process: General Kayani

— PHOTO: AFP

Spells out stand: Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (centre) presides over the corps commanders conference in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Thursday that the Pakistan Army was fully behind the democratic process and would play its constitutional role in support of the elected government.

A military statement at the end of the 107th corps commanders’ conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi said General Kayani reiterated that the Army would stay out of the political process and expressed hope that it “is not dragged into any unnecessary controversy.”

The Army Chief’s remarks came amidst high speculation about the likely role of the Pakistan’s strongest institution in a possible tussle between President Pervez Musharraf and the newly elected Parliament

The statement highlighted an observation by Gen. Kayani that “an impression is being created about ‘distancing the Army from the President’.”

“He emphasised the importance of the constitutional relationship between the Army and the National Command Structure. Highlighting the need for understanding, he pointed out that any kind of schism, at any level, under the circumstances would not be in the larger interest of the nation,” it said.

Gen. Kayani expressed the optimism that there would be “a harmonised relationship between various pillars of the state, as provided in the constitution, in order to maximise national effort,” it said.

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