Pakistan military warns of 'anarchy and polarization'

Pakistan must abandon the politics of "anarchy and polarization", the country's army chief said on Saturday as the final results of the general election became clear.
The military looms over Pakistan's political landscape, with generals ruling the country for almost half of its history since its separation from India in 1947.
"The nation needs steady hands and medical healing to move away from the politics of anarchy and polarization that does not suit a progressive country of 250 million people," General Syed Asim Munir said, according to a military statement.
Politicians and political parties have risen and fallen with the support of the military, which this year was seen as supporting the party of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan faces days of political trading after the latest election results, released on Saturday, showed no clear majority but a strong showing by independent candidates loyal to convicted and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
After long delays in the results that prompted further accusations that the military department was involved in vote rigging, the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) declared victory as the party with the largest number of seats. "Elections are not a zero-sum contest of winning and losing, but an exercise in determining the mandate of the people," Munir expressed the military's position. "Political leadership and their officials must rise above self-interest and join forces in governing and serving the people, which is perhaps the only way to make democracy functional and purposeful." /BGNES, AFP