Another coup on the way?
To an average kid on the street, our army is composed of supermen who are always there to defend us from all the bad guys out there. Our splendid army always keeps our borders safe and saves us from the vile intentions of our opponents. No matter how much trouble our eastern or western neighbours give us, our troops of supermen will always be there to treat these villains with an iron fist. Therefore anyone who dares malign, vilify or offend the army is someone we as a nation will rip open and tear apart. This is not the emotion of just a certain group, this is what our entire nation feels and there is absolutely no compromise in this domain.
However, there is another class of academics and researchers and politicians who do not think this way. These are the people who are very fond of army bashing. According to them civil-military imbalance is a very grave threat to the stability of Pakistan and politicians should handle the political and the diplomatic part, whereas the military should be confined to the barracks – and take care of external and internal security. This debate is almost as old as Pakistan itself.
Other titans on the chessboard
There are few political parties in Pakistan that have a long-standing history of socialist manifestos and left-wing politics. One of these is Pakistan Peoples Party. Irritated by Ayub Khan’s autocratic regime and the 22 families created back then, Bhutto at once won over the hearts of the masses through his slogan “Roti, Kapra and Makan.” Many declare Bhutto to be the only charismatic and visionary leader Pakistan had in post-independence period. PPP, that started out as a thoroughly anti-autocracy wing never got along with the “khakis” well. First, it had a tough relationship with Ayub Khan, and later with Zia-ul-Haq. Although not as strong as the army itself, PPP too are the titans of Pakistani chessboard. Populism and the politics of martyrdom are the unique points that PPP prides itself upon.
There are few political parties in Pakistan that have a long-standing history of socialist manifestos and left-wing politics. One of these is Pakistan Peoples Party
But who is the greater titan? Who is the king among all pieces on the chessboard that is Pakistani politics? Well you do not need to be a genius to figure this one out. In the game of chess, there is only one king on one side, and in Pakistan it appears to be the army. Yes, army is staying out of politics overtly, but can you ever challenge the king in chess?
Political suicide: Titans at loggerheads again
So, the feud that started out in 1960’s was never resolved. These two titans are again at loggerheads again. The funny thing about history is that it is never history. It keeps re-appearing in cycles, in phases, especially in this part of the world. When Zardari gave an anti-army outburst, many were forced to think if history was simply repeating itself or this was something entirely new in a different context. One is forced to turn the annals of the not-so-distant history again and compare and contrast the situation, then and now.
While all the political parties bashed the PPP co-chairperson on his bitter words and criticism he has a few defendants as well. “One part of his speech has been manipulated to raise a storm,” said Qamar Zaman Kaira, a senior PPP leader in his press conference. According to Kaira, “We have to carefully analyse what he said and why he said so?” Kaira explained in the very press conference that Zardari did not mean what has been made out of his statement.
“He even said in his statement that army is a very important institution for us. We have problems on our eastern and western borders and we certainly do not want any problem for the army due to any reason; then how this statement could be portrayed to be anti-army.”
However, some other politicians have a different stand on this issue.
“Well, what can I say when even the leaders are not patriotic?” said Nehal Hashmi, PML-N senator, when asked about this issue. “All political parties think of themselves first and Pakistan later. If they are being held accountable for their corruption, why are they making excuses? This carries no logical weight. Two wrongs definitely cannot make one right, and saying everyone is corrupt does not solve the issue.”
Looking at all the scenario, can we state that Zardari has committed political suicide? Who will win — our army of supermen or our largest populist party? Winds blow for whom? This is what we need to find out.
“Asif Zardari is the person who since his taking the leadership has taken on board all political forces, religious groups, ethnicities and institutions and made remarkable efforts to create unison and reconciliation. PPP has had to pay for it but it was for the good of the country. The point to ponder is what could be the reason for the very same man to speak up.” Kaira explained. “All he has done is asking some of the institutions to operate within their mandate.”
Why are the political parties and the government taking just a one-sided view of the entire statement? “I think it is the political game. Nawaz Sharif has learned from his experience that he needs the military’s support for his political survival.” Hasan Askari, renowned political scientist and defence analyst explained his viewpoint on Zardari-bashing going on.
Asset or liability?
One needs to understand the external and internal security issues of the country when trying to understand this civil-military imbalance.
“The military in Pakistan is a very political force. The reason is that the civilian leadership has not been able to create a credible civilian alternative, and it is relying heavily on the military for external and internal security.” Hasan Askari explained.
“This will continue to be the same way unless the security problem is solved. In such circumstances, balance will always be in the favour of the military.”
From these words, it can be argued that the spaces in our political administration are the real cause of inducing the army time and again to fix the situation. But there are differing viewpoints on this.
“You know very well that policy making is very important,” says Bushra Gohar, eminent Pakistani stateswoman and senior vice-president of ANP. “Our institutions are heading in the direction of a collapse. When they surpass their mandated roles, democracy and state are badly affected. When one institution – the army – takes political affairs in its hands, policy making is affected as the debate and discussion inherent in democracy is not made. So, we can’t say that army has to intervene because of weak situation. Rather, our security and defence situation is weak because institutions are staying in their mandated constitutional roles. Policy making is not done collectively, and even the own roles of army of defence and security are badly affected. So we need to check this.”
“Well, the army has served us a lot,” added Nehal Hashmi. “Not just in their own domains, but when some emergency has arisen in the form of disasters. The reason behind this is we are taking good care of our army. We are nourishing the ministry of defence alone as much as other ministries, so the army is groomed well. But the con is unnecessary intervention. Politics is not meant for the army. Different army generals especially Zia and Musharraf have held Pakistan for 20 years, and the democratic process has been badly affected.”
While different thinkers have given their statements, we cannot deny the presence and the significance of the military in the Pakistani scenario. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, National Action Plan, military courts and various other episodes have made it clear that somehow decision making is being ceded to the army.
If the army had to take control of the country, it could have done so last year when PTI and PAT had seized the entire sensitive area of Islamabad
Is it a healthy step? Javed Jabbar answered this question in 985, when he wrote. “The rigidity that comes from the discipline of armed forces can be an asset in military terms and a liability in the political context.” Wise words! However, this liability will keep arising until the civilian administration keeps giving the space and the loopholes.
The road ahead
If the army had to take control of the country, it could have done so last year when PTI and PAT had seized the entire sensitive area of Islamabad. But for the first time in Pakistani history, the army restrained itself from making a hard coup and taking hold of the country. Rather it focused on our security threats. This was definitely good news, that too for the first time. However, it remains a fact that we are on the way to a soft coup, if it hasn’t occurred already. “Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq, Khalid Barmaki and Yahya Barmaki are born in all eras, and those who think the army will or should come are one of those,” Nehal Hashmi made his stand very clear.
“These are the followers of Gandhi, of Nehru, of Patel, not of our Quaid. He was very clear on the importance of politics. And let me tell you one thing. Pakistan was achieved as a result of a political struggle, not by force of a gun or a hammer or a canon. So the only way to save it remains political as well. The army has a different domain. Only politicians can build the country. As PML-N is doing through its infrastructure projects – these are attempts to unite the country.”
“The political leadership needs to sit together and settle the issues and differences,” said Bushra Gohar. “Everything constructive was given to the country by the politicians, not by the army. This thing should be made clear. The constitution was drafted by civilians. All institutions need to stay in their mandated, constitutional roles. And the media needs to play its part in it.”
Apparently, this is a time when Pakistan is standing united for the purpose of democracy. But it should be kept in mind that with all these gaps and blame games, democracy will never come. Yes we have supermen among us who are the champions of bravery and valour, but let the ordinary men run the country. And let us preserve our supermen for their noble role – of protecting us and defending our borders.
