Gen Bajwa never said about 'emulating India', clarifies Pak Army as row erupts

New Delhi: Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa never asked his soldiers to emulate India when he said security forces has no business in running the country, an official clarified on Monday after his alleged remarks sparked a controversy.

General Bajwa had only citied India as an example to explain how it managed its democracy without involving the Army in governance, the spokesman of Pakistan's armed forces Major general Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet.

The media had last week reported that Bajwa urged officers to read a book "Army and Nation", which attempts to explain why the democratic process in India has been a success. The book was written by Steven I Wilkinson.

The media has misquoted him, the Times of India quoted Ghafoor as saying, adding the general didn't make any such comment about "emulating India".

The Nation's article last week had sent shockwaves through India and Pakistan, which has seen military rule in the recent past.

"Till now, there has been no attempt to portray Gen Bajwa as a parallel, competing powerhouse, with strong political undertones, unlike the past when an orchestrated campaign was directed and aimed at raising the profile of the then army chief to mythic proportions.

“Gen Bajwa, through his public statements, has stressed that the army will support and assist the civilian government for national interest," TOI quoted the Nation article as saying.