WASHINGTON: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has dismissed the notion that the establishment in Pakistan is involved in suppressing media freedom and the mistreatment of journalists, The News reported on Friday.
On Wednesday, the last day of his nearly week-long visit to the US, the army commander addressed members of the Washington-based think tank community at a special event organized at the home of the Pakistani ambassador.
The army chief responded to a question during the event by stating that Pakistan has no restrictions on press freedom and that the “establishment” of the country was not involved in any unfortunate incident that occurred in this regard.
Gen Bajwa’s reportedly impressed his American audience with his “surprisingly frank” nature.
The meeting included about a dozen people.
Another participant remarked, without revealing the subjects that were covered at the meeting, “Everything was discussed.”
“The Army Chief said a great many things that startled us, in a good way.
According to a different participant, the army leader “expressed his mind” and wasn’t “putting on a front” to appease the crowd.
One attendee made the comment that the army head maintained a “balancing act” when discussing domestic issues.
The army chief discussed bilateral relations between the US and Pakistan, stressing that the two “strategic allies” should strengthen their trade and economic ties, according to the report. He also expressed worry about the state of the economy.
Gen. Bajwa was happy that Pakistan’s connections with other nations stood on their own without being hyphenated with any other nation. He declared that Pakistan desired positive, autonomous relations with all nations, including China and the US.
