Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has once again defended the country’s “hybrid model” of governance, claiming that the military and civilian leadership operate together through “consensus.”

Speaking to British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan on his platform Zeteo, Asif downplayed the role of the Pakistan Army in the politics of the country, despite the history of military coups in Pakistan, martial law administrators and army chiefs assuming the presidency. He argued that even democracies like the United States were run by what he described as the “deep state.”

When asked by Hasan whether Army Chief Gen Asim Munir holds more authority than him, the Defence Minister rejected the notion. “No, it’s not like that… I’m a political appointee, I’m a political worker, you know,” Asif said.

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