LT Gen Surinder Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command, addresses a symposium at Chandimandir on Thursday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VIJAY MATHUR

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 25

Cautioning the officers of the armed forces against the build-up of an “unhealthy synergy” between sections of the media, political establishment, the military and arms dealers in the pursuit of vested interests, Harish Khare, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune, stressed that the service personnel could do well by following the Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat’s dictum issued on Army Day to uphold the core national values and service ethos and live up to the trust reposed in the armed forces by the nation.Addressing senior Army officers and journalists on the theme of “Army and the media: Who uses whom” at a media symposium organised by the Western Command Headquarters at Chandimandir here today, Khare said while the Army remained the country’s most professional and secular organisation, there had been instances of individual abrasions, which were a cause for concern.Stating that the armed forces had to work within the larger constitutional framework, he said, “We can no longer pretend that there is no clash of professional interests and egos at the top level. This has resulted in some senior officers coming closer to political figures or seeking unhealthy alliances in a section of the media and the people have unfairly fallen victim to this.”While being critical of the functioning of both, the media and the top military leadership, Khare also warned against manipulation of institutional processes for personal or commercial purposes. He added that sections of the armed forces had used the media to create narratives about the weakness of the political leadership in military matters.General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen Surinder Singh spoke about the Army’s perspective on engagement with the media and highlighted the services’ concern over inadvertent dissemination of information that could have security implications or impact troop morale.