Pakistan military tweets affect ties with government: Daily

The Pakistani military spokesman's tweets "have exposed civil-military tensions" in the country, a leading newspaper said on Thursday.

Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa's tweets and statements have exposed the fissures "at a time when the nation expects the best coordination between the two sides in their fight against terrorism", the Daily Times said.

"The civil government might not be delivering as per the expectations of the military establishment but making such differences public will not benefit the cause of effectively fighting terrorism and extremism."

This, the daily warned, undermined the civilian government's supremacy "and gives the impression as if the military is acting like a supra-governmental body over and above the country's chief executive".

After the suicide attack at a Lahore park on March 27 that left more than 70 people dead, Gen Bajwa announced that the army chief had chaired a high-level meeting to commence operations against terrorists.

The daily said that after the Lahore attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif had been holding meetings separately.

They "have yet to sit together for a coordinated effort", it said.

The military also said that Gen Sharif had told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about the Indian spy agency RAW's involvement in Pakistan's internal affairs, especially in Balochistan.

But the same evening, the Iranian president denied that the RAW issue was discussed.