ISLAMABAD: A day ahead of his retirement, Pakistan’s Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that his decision to keep the military establishment “apolitical” will shield it “from the vagaries of politics” in the coup-prone country.

Gen Bajwa, 61, will retire on November 29 after a threeyear extension.

Pakistan has appointed Lt Gen Asim Munir, a former ISI chief, as the new Army chief to succeed Gen Bajwa.

He emphasised that the Pakistan Army has restricted its role “to its constitutional mandated task only by deciding to make it apolitical.”

“This decision, though being viewed negatively by a segment of society and led to personal criticism, will facilitate in reinvigorating and strengthening democratic culture, assisting in supporting state organs to effectively perform and deliver. Above all, this decision will help enhance the army’s prestige in the long term,” Gen Bajwa said in an interview with the UAE-based newspaper.

On Wednesday, in his final public address as Pakistan’s Army chief, Gen Bajwa said the military establishment’s “unconstitutional” interference in politics over the past 70 years was the reason why it drew criticism from the general masses and politicians.

“The Pakistan Army had always remained a dominant player in national decision-making,” he said in the interview.