ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has urged young civil servants of the country to uphold integrity in the state governance structure to achieve national security imperatives and overcome internal and external challenges, the Pakistani military said on Friday.

The statement came after the army chief’s meeting with probationary officers of the 52nd Common Training Program (CTP) of Pakistan’s Civil Services Academy at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

These probationary officers remained attached with the formations of Pakistan Army at peace time locations and operational areas of Azad Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, and gained “rich experience” of the three services during various interactions and visits.

In his address, the field marshal spoke on a range of critical issues, including national security as well as internal and external challenges, and the pivotal role of the Pakistani armed forces in preserving regional peace and national stability.

“The Chief of Army Staff further highlighted the indispensable role of a capable, transparent, and service-driven civil bureaucracy within the architecture of state governance,” the ISPR said in a statement. “He urged the young officers to embody the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and patriotic commitment in the fulfillment of their responsibilities to the nation.”

The development comes a week after Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif described the country’s governance as a “hybrid model” in which military and civilian leaders share power — an open secret in political circles but a rare public admission by a serving official that took on added significance amid the army chief’s solo visit to the United States this month and an unprecedented meeting with President Donald Trump.

Asif acknowledged the military’s prestige had “skyrocketed” after Pakistan’s four-day conflict with India last month, calling it a “blessing in disguise,” but rejected that this would erode democratic authority or give the army unchecked control.

“No, it doesn’t worry me,” he told Arab News, when asked if Pakistan’s history of direct and indirect military rule made him uneasy about the army’s stronger image.

“This is a hybrid model. It’s not an ideal democratic government … So, this arrangement, the hybrid arrangement, I think [it] is doing wonders,” Asif said, adding that the system was a practical necessity until Pakistan was “out of the woods as far as economic and governance problems are concerned.”

The defense chief argued the long-running political instability and behind-the-scenes military influence in earlier decades had slowed democratic development, but the current arrangement had improved coordination.

Pakistan’s military has played a central role in national affairs since independence in 1947, including periods of direct rule after coups in 1958, 1977 and 1999, when General Pervez Musharraf toppled then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the elder brother of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Musharraf ruled until 2008 when elections restored civilian governance. Even under elected governments, however, the army is widely considered the invisible guiding hand in politics and in shaping foreign policy, security strategy, and often key aspects of governance.

The ISPR said the army chief’s interaction with the young civil servants was part of a “broader national initiative aimed at strengthening institutional synergy and deepening mutual understanding” between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, according to the ISPR.

“He (Field Marshal Munir) underscored the imperative of inter-institutional cohesion, mutual respect, and unified national purpose in advancing Pakistan’s strategic and developmental objectives,” it said.

The CTP participants appreciated the opportunity to gain insight into the Pakistan Army leadership’s strategic vision, operational readiness and its multifaceted contributions to national resilience and development, the ISPR added.