'Not Ideal Democratic Govt': Pak Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Admits To Hybrid Regime, Says Military, Civilian Leadership Share Power (VIDEO)

Islamabad: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday admitted that it has a "hybrid" regime, instead of an ideal democratic country. During an interview with Arab News, Asif also stated that if the hybrid model of governance had been adopted in the 90s, it could have wielded much better results.

"This is a hybrid model. It's not an ideal democratic government, you know, it's a hybrid. In the past, when the establishment used to operate from behind the scenes, and they definitely wielded a lot of power over the decade," the Pakistan Defence Minister said.

"This arrangement, the hybrid arrangement, I think is doing all this, you know. And I personally think that if this sort of model was adopted way back in the 90s, things, you know, could have been much, much better. Because of the confrontation between the establishment and the political government, it actually retarded the progress of our democracy," he added.

When asked about more military power in the hybrid model of governance, Asif said that there is a co-ownership of power in this system.

"This definition that A has more power and B has less power or E has ceded power to A, that's not correct. It's something mutual. It's something mutual. We have a co-ownership of the power structure. And the military leadership listens to you genuinely. Very genuine," he stated.

He further claimed that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is making decisions independently. “You will be amazed. There is no superimposed system or superimposed organisation on Shehbaz Sharif which dictates him and he acts accordingly. No, Shehbaz Sharif is making his decisions independently. And obviously, he is in regular consultation with the establishment on all levels.,” Asif said.

He also ruled out the possibility of having differences of opinion between political and military leadership. “Believe me, very honestly, we haven't had any moment where there were decisions were not made unanimously with total agreement,” the Pakistan Defence Minister said.

Notably, Asif's remarks about 'hybrid model' came days after United States Donald Trump hosted lunch for Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, ignoring the country's civilian government.

Ironically, no Pakistani Prime Minister has completed a full five-year term so far. Military leadership has always remained dominant in the neighbouring country.