Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa told Pakistan’s senators that the military would back the political leadership’s efforts to normalise ties with India, Dawn reported. Bajwa, however, alleged that most of India’s troops were deployed against Pakistan and accused India of attempting to destabilise the country by collaborating with the Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security.

During his address on December 19, Bajwa briefed Pakistani political leaders about matters of national security to help them “prepare policy guidelines in the light of emerging regional realities”, Geo News reported.

His remarks came a day after the country’s National Security Adviser, Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua, warned that South Asia was one mistake away from a major catastrophe, and accused India of threatening Pakistan with war.

Bajwa reiterated that the Pakistani Army was committed to the Constitution and rule of law, and denied that the military intended to destabilise the civilian government, Dawn reported. He was replying to a question by a Muslim League (Nawaz) lawmaker, who asked him about the army’s role in brokering a deal between the government and the organisers of a 22-day protest by Islamist outfits from the Barelvi school of Islamic thought.