Read Book on Why India Never Had a Coup: Gen Bajwa to Pak Officers

General Qamar Javed Bajwa. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@nadeemshakirUK)

During his first speech as the Pakistan Army Chief, General Qamar Bajwa advised senior officers of his country to read an academic book on Indian democracy. Emphasising how the military and politics in India are not mutually inclusive, Bajwa recommended Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy since Independence written by Steven I Wilkinson, a professor at Yale University.

The book talks about how India has managed to keep the military away from its political affairs, thereby preventing coups. The measures taken to achieve this in a country left behind by the British Raj include surveillance for senior officers, and using civilian-controlled paramilitary to handle internal security and counter-insurgency operations. Bajwa referred to the book in his speech, reported Pakistan’s The Nation.

Also Read: Why the Pakistan Army Enjoys So Much Power in a Democracy

Bajwa reads a lot about India, his interest in the country going back to his days in the Pakistan army in 1992, reports Hindustan Times.

The report also points out:

Some have credited Bajwa for a reduction in tensions along the LoC and international border in Jammu and Kashmir though attacks by Pakistan-based terror groups have continued unabated.