No rift between govt, army: minister

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed on Friday said there was no rift between the government and the army, adding that the military had not demanded resignations of any cabinet members, DawnNews reported. Speaking to media representatives at the Lok Virsa in Islamabad, Rasheed said the army was engaged in the country's defence and that spreading any unfounded rumours was the work of destabilising forces. The federal minister added that all the state's institutions were working within their constitutional perimeters, adding that the army had neither the time nor the inclination to indulge in misadventures. Rasheed said those spreading rumours about differences between the government and the military were among those rendered unemployed after the end of the era of dictatorships in the country. The minister quipped that these individuals should look for other work now that they could no longer benefit from such rumour-mongering. Army upset over criticism It was reported earlier in the week that army generals have been upset for having been "unfairly criticised" by federal ministers. The seething resentment in military ranks was obvious as generals met for the corps commanders’ conference at the General Headquarters on Wednesday. Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, who presided over the meeting, had earlier in the week publicly stated the concerns when he told peeved Special Services soldiers in Tarbela that army "will resolutely preserve its own dignity and institutional pride". Gen Raheel’s statement had effectively blown away the façade of civilian and military leadership being on the same page. Gen Raheel was reportedly upset about the manner in which the discourse on Musharraf trial had digressed into army bashing and public humiliation of the former army chief. Statements by Defence Minister Khwaja Asif and Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique on the treason case in particular were seen by the army as demeaning. The army had been privately conveying its reservations to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but decided to go public after it was felt that the premier was not paying heed to its concerns.