Civ-mil balance

Or imbalance?

The PML-N government’s second year in power this time around was quite different from the first. It was eager, initially, not just to be in power, but also to be seen in power, especially with regard to the military. It immediately put the military on the back foot with the manner in which it went after Gen Musharraf. It’s most senior tough-talking ministers, the two Khawajas, wasted no opportunity to expand on what the government had in mind for those who’d attack the constitution, etc. The defence minister went to the extent of saying that time itself was teaching the institution a lesson.

The government was also pretty front-foot about its own ideas about India and the Taliban, neither of which suited the military. But then the dharnas happened, and the government got the wind knocked out of its sails. There was talk of the government collapsing. Later accounts revealed how even some senior minister had begun moving files from their offices. There was feverish speculation about the ‘third umpire’ raising the finger. Then, out of its wits, the government gulped its pride and approached the brass for ‘facilitation’. Later events made clear that the military might have helped the government survive, but it was on some pretty clear terms.

Of course, there has been no friction since then, and indeed the military is more visible than the government where it matters more. Even foreign dignitaries seem to have realised that. But, importantly, it was not just saving the government from the dharna that empowered the army. The government’s own incompetence and inability to do its job has shaped matters even more. From the war to reining in corrupt elements to dealing with natural disasters, the military is in the lead and the government is nowhere to be seen. Even the most sensitive foreign policy decisions – from Afghanistan to USA to India – are being guided by the GHQ. But this is a matter of the government ceding space, creating a vacuum, than what Pakistan is more used to – the military asserting itself upon the political realm.