LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujat Hussain has called for cooperation between the civilian government and the armed forces in times of emergency. “If an emergency situation is created in the country, then cooperation between the government and the armed forces of Pakistan is compulsory so that the two stakeholders can take decisions through mutual consensus”, he said while talking to PML leaders Senator Kamil Ali Agha, Jawwad Bhatti, Shafay Hussain and Rizwan Mumtaz Ali who called on him at his residence here.

Ch Shujat stated that politics and the army’s role [in it] had become a favorite topic for discussion in the present situation; and a question was being raised whether the army should have a role in politics or not. Shujat defined politics as a system to set things right by addressing the political, social and economic issues.

The PML leader stressed that political government should take all essential steps for ensuring national security and solidarity of the country; but when the need arises, it should call the security agencies and the armed forces of Pakistan for its help using the constitutional powers. “And, for this purpose, the government should use all financial and other resources. It is essential because if the government fails to resolve the issues, the national security can be in danger. In such a grave situation, if the civil government fails to provide the necessary resources, then in my view the Armed Forces of Pakistan and security agencies will be held responsible for pulling the country out of dangers”, he maintained.

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Shujat said that the government should not do politics over the defence expenditure and termed such attempts a highly irresponsible attitude. He regretted that such people provided an opportunity to the anti-state forces to be happy in utter disregard of the national interest. “They do such things only for getting applaus in the public meetings”, he said.