Kolkata, May 14: Visiting Pakistani parliamentarians today said politicians were responsible for inviting army rule in their country, which had resulted in "mismanagement". "Civilian rule in Pakistan failed to meet the expectations of the people due to exorbitant corruption and the army had to intervene," M P Bhandara, Member of National Assembly (MNA), said when asked whether the army had a stranglehold on Pakistani politics.
Three MNAs, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, M P Bhandara and Shakila Rashid, were interacting with a group of city intellectuals here in a program organised by Pakistan-India People's forum for Peace & Democracy. The leader of the Pakistani delegation, Khakwani said, "This frequent interruption by the army caused mismanagement in the country."
Stating that Pakistan was a "traumatised" nation, Bhandara said the common psyche, which had developed in his country, particularly after 1971, was that of defensiveness. However, he said the people of Pakistan wanted to have fraternal relations with Indians, and this was message, which the Pakistani team was carrying as part of the track II diplomacy to ease tension between the two countries. Bureau Report