The delay in the formation of an independent enquiry commission mandated by the parliament to probe the Abbottabad fiasco is causing apprehensions both inside and outside the parliament. It is being maintained that the government is hesitant to hold the military accountable for an appalling defence lapse that has shocked the entire population. The way the debate on the security agencies’ pathetic failure in tracing out OBL was given a spin and turned into a debate on the violation of the country’s sovereignty is also being interpreted as an attempt to cover up the recent security lapses. On Tuesday, the issue was raised in the NA by the PML(N), by Nawaz Sharif at a TV appearance and while addressing a children’s event, and by human rights activist and chairman SCBA Asma Jahangir at a public function in Islamabad.
The concept of holding the military accountable to the civilian setup is a well-established principle in democracies. This in fact helps the armed forces maintain a high level of efficiency and discipline while it promotes transparency and curbs corruption. Democracy cannot take root unless the importance of obedience to the civilian setup is fully inculcated in the armed forces. A number of developments require an immediate enforcement of a system of accountability by the civilian authority. While demands were being made to probe the Abbottabad failure, terrorists succeeded in entering the PNS Mehran where they killed ten navy and FC personnel besides blowing up two P-3C Orion aircraft, costing an estimated $36 million each. Complaints of massive financial irregularities in the armed forces have turned into a refrain in almost every annual report of the Auditor General, climaxing to Rs 56.5 billion in the current fiscal year.
As Asma Jahangir put it, the parliament has to take the lead to bring the military under civilian oversight. Military budget has to be discussed in parliamentary committees prior to being presented before parliament so that it is duly rightsized, giving proper importance to the people’s development needs. To begin with, the independent commission should be urgently set up after consultation with the opposition.