Pak Army denies role in dissolution of National Assembly, calls it political procedure

Islamabad, Apr 03: In a day of swift drama, Pakistan Army is quietly disassociating itself from the prevailing political situation in Pakistan, which saw Prime Minister Imran Khan, facing no-trust motion, called for fresh elections.

Speaking to a private TV channel, Military spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said "The army has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in the NA today," Iftikhar said.

The powerful Pakistan Army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 73 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of security and foreign policy.

Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has at least twice met Prime Minister Khan last week. Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion submitted by the joint opposition to dislodge the prime minister as he termed it "unconstitutional" under Article 5.

It provided space to the Prime Minister to send advice to the president for the dissolution of the lower house. The current instability was triggered by the no-confidence motion by the opposition on March 8 but Prime Minister Khan fought back by declaring it a "foreign conspiracy" to topple his elected government.

According to Prime Minister Khan, the top army leadership met him last week and offered three options to resolve the political impasse, which included his resignation, facing no-confidence or calling early elections.