Former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Friday said General (retd) Raheel Sharif served as the army chief of Pakistan and hence should think before joining the Islamic military alliance.
The former president said during an interview on a local TV channel that since Pakistan has a large Shia population, it should not be involved in such a serious sectarian matter, “Pakistan should think 100 times before being involved in any sectarian issue,” he said.
“One should consider over the force, meet its commanders, see the targets and decide whether such objectives can be achieved with this force,” Musharraf added. “If the targets are impossible then one should not join it.”
The former president also said, “This military is mine and I am proud of it.” Dispelling rumours about him not returning to Pakistan due to lack of support from the current military leadership.
“I served in the army for 45 years and held its command. I fought several battles, including Kargil, and the incumbent leadership was under my command. They were my students when I taught at NDA, how can they forget me!” he responded.
In January this year, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the appointment of General (retd) Raheel Sharif as the commander of the Saudi-led 39-nation military coalition. Days after he confirmed the appointment, Asif told the Senate that the former army chief had not obtained the government’s clearance to take the said position.
This topic has been under discussion ever since with some retired military officers accusing the government of launching an intentional smear movement against the former army chief. Lt Gen (retd) Amjad Shoaib has also stated that Gen Raheel’s heading of the coalition is conditional to the Pakistan government’s clearance.
