Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif defended his nation's "hybrid model" of government once again, stressing that the civilian and military leadership are "by consensus" in running state affairs.
Discussing with British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan, Asif dismissed accusations that the army controls Pakistani politics, controversially labeling US democracy as a "deep state.
When asked whether Pakistan's generals hold more power than elected ministers, Asif retorted, "No, it's not like that. I'm a political appointee, I’m a political worker." Pressed further with comparisons to the United States, where civilian leaders have the authority to dismiss top generals, he claimed, "They (the US) have a different model over here. It's called deep state."
Hasan pointed out that Pakistan's critics usually blame the military for being the real decision-maker. Asif conceded the perception, crediting it to "previous military dictators," but emphasized that the current setup is consensus-based. Asked who wins in case he and Army chief Asim Munir disagree, Asif replied, "It's not equal. We can agree to disagree. It is by consensus, whatever is happening."
Earlier this year, Asif has labeled the hybrid setup as a "practical necessity" stating that although it is not an ideal model of democracy, it supports Pakistan in coping with economic and governance issues. Local daily Dawn has quoted Asif to often praise the military-civilian partnership, even though critics have called it undemocratic.
Switching to geopolitics, Asif asserted that Pakistan's recent moves towards Washington, such as new mineral and crypto trade agreements under US President Donald Trump, won't come at the expense of Islamabad's age-old relationship with Beijing. "We are not concerned about that, because it's a time-tested relationship with China since the late 50s. China is not concerned about our flirtations or whatever you call it," he asserted.
Highlighting defence ties, he said: "In the past, even today and in the future also, China has been a very reliable ally. Our Air Force, submarines, planes — almost a major portion of our arms are from China, and our defence cooperation is increasing. It is much more robust than before, with China, the main reason is unreliability of other sources like the United States."
He underscored geography as another factor: "They (China) are reliable and they are our neighbours. We share borders and we share the geography."
The interview also turned sour when Hasan asked Asif why he made conflicting assertions about jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan's social media use. At one stage, Asif accused Khan of operating his account from Adiala Jail. When asked to remind him that he had already asserted India was behind Khan's account, he seemed agitated.
"You just made two different allegations. Is it Imran in his prison cell or is it India?" Hasan asked. Asif responded, "Either he is operating from the cell or he should at least identify who is operating the jail cell."
Pressed further on evidence, Asif cited "intelligence sources" but refused to provide details, insisting: "The evidence I cannot publicly disclose… but it is there."
