Advisor to Prime Minister on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday that no one wants the involvement of institutions in politics except Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan.

He said this while speaking to journalist Asma Shirazi on her programme ’Faisla Aap Ka“ broadcast on Aaj News Tuesday evening.

Kaira said that Imran Khan made the same demand at the public gathering in Rawalpindi last week. “All the political parties except PTI and remnants of PML-Q are against the involvement of the Establishment in politics.”

The comments come on the day retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa ended his six-year tenure as army chief and handed over the command to his successor General Asim Munir.

General Bajwa’s tenure became critical over claims that state institutions, spearheaded by the army, was involved in political engineering that brought PTI and Imran Khan to power. Following Imran’s ouster in a vote of no confidence in April, the PTI chief took to accusing state institutions - even naming army personnel - of ‘neutrality’ and supporting his rivals.

The PPP leader and former minister told Shirazi that more comments are made about officers with longer careers while saying that retired General Bajwa commanded the Pakistan Army in the best possible manner.

He welcomed the decision, reiterated by Gen Bajwa during his farewell visits, that state institutions would not interfere in the political process. “State institutions are learning from their mistakes just like political parties did.”

Kaira said despite this, the atmosphere of trust is yet to be established. “We have to strengthen trust in state institutions.”

On the army’s decision to stay away from politics, Kaira said that it was taken by the entire institution and not by retired General Bajwa alone. “This is why the new army chief and his team will face many challenges. We should support them.”

Journalist Athar Kazmi said that it wasn’t clear to what extent would the army stay away from politics and one could only find that out in the coming days.

Muneeb Farooq, who hosts a show on Geo News, said that political parties should turn down the option of using the army as a mediator to resolve political differences.

During the conversation, the discussion turned towards the decision of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to pull out of the ceasefire agreement with Islamabad, giving rise to concerns in scaling up of attacks against security forces in the country’s northwest.

Kaira said that there was a need for policy review on the issue of militancy to find a long-term solution.