And why now?
A press release by the media wing of army set it all off. There is tension between civil and military institutions over implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) while Operation Zarb-e-Azb goes on.
Not only was the wording of the press release terse, its timing and ensuing fiasco were intriguing as COAS General Raheel Sharif is set to visit Washington in days. One wonders whether it was necessary issue a press statement carrying a charge-sheet against the government of the day.
A view taking root is that the civil government is unpopular while the military, especially the army chief, is riding a historic popularity wave after smashing the terrorist networks across the country.
The prime minister might have preferred not to respond to the army’s statement in the same manner. But it seems some anonymous players want to pit the civilian Sharif against the Sharif in uniform as suggested by the rumour mill in the federal capital, claiming parliament would be used as a launching pad next week to trigger a revolt against military’s hegemony and to settle scores with General Sharif, who would be visiting Washington by then.
It seems such an effort would aim at compromising the bargaining power of the army chief just to settle scores with him for launching an anti-graft campaign against top politicians of the country.
A view taking root is that the civil government is unpopular while the military, especially the army chief, is riding a historic popularity wave after smashing the terrorist networks across the country
One might assume that there was no need for the ISPR to issue a press statement carrying the concerns of the army leadership about the lack of commitment by the government. But more intriguing is the way the knives are taken out by top political parties whose leaderships have been under the scanner by the armed forces for their alleged misconduct, malpractices and corruption.
The way the political parties jumped to the military-bashing bandwagon reflects that all were bent upon messing up the US trip of the army chief. It was Mahmood Khan Achakzai who spearheaded the onslaught against the army, unnecessarily claiming to stand by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in case of a military takeover.
The residents of Quetta know better about Achakzai, who enjoyed repute among political and journalistic circles for decades. But he has fallen from grace after getting all his close family members accommodated at top offices in the Balochistan government.
While Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stood behind the army, opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah also took a jibe at the prime minister. Shah, however, changed his position the very next day, putting his party’s weight behind the prime minister. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) surprisingly called for adopting a rationale approach, saying there was nothing wrong in the press statement issued by the ISPR.
The media also looks hands in glove with the government, as negative news items are being propelled, criticising the army chief despite the fact that General Raheel Sharif has been time and again dubbed as the ‘most loyal general’ by top PML-N guns.
Nonetheless, all this has added fuel to the fire as provocative statements are being made by politicians who are blaming the army’s top officers as if a military takeover was imminent. One understands that military takeovers can never be averted through political gimmicks. The ISPR never issued press statements before any takeover. The ISPR statement reflects that the military leadership is not interested in takeover and rather it shows that the army is perturbed over the lack of will and commitment by the federal and provincial government to go after corrupt elements in the country.
The military leadership believes that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been reluctant to act against politicians involved in massive corruption, terror financing and money laundering.
The military thinks that the prime minister has resisted action against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and other leaders wanted by the Rangers. Moreover, while the law enforcement agencies have claims of gathering evidence against top leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), no action has yet been taken against Asif Zardari and company.
The federal government is also unwilling to allow steps against some of its own ministers who are allegedly involved with terror financing, facilitation or advocacy.
What the federal and provincial governments have forgotten is the fact that the ISPR statement did not express the mindset of an individual. Rather, since the statement came after the corps commanders meeting, it reflected the thinking of the entire institution.
The army leadership deplored the failure of the respective federal and provincial governments to match and complement the successful operation as governance issues remain unaddressed. The army chief underlined the need for matching/complementary governance initiatives for long term gains of the operation and enduring peace across the country.
It is imperative for the civilian and military leaders to jointly take measures to secure the gains of military operation
But to be more precise, the military leadership did not go public without speaking its mind to the prime minister. It has been sharing its concerns with the premier since many months. Even before the corps commanders moot, the army chief had briefed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the military’s concerns about the lack of implementation by federal and provincial governments over the 20-point National Action Plan (NAP).
In specific, the army chief had shared his concerns over the reluctance of Sindh and Punjab governments to track politicians allegedly involved in terror-financing, money-laundering and other criminal activities.
The prime minister was informed that the Punjab and Sindh governments were reluctant and complacent in taking action against those involved in money laundering and this inaction will help terror networks to re-emerge once the operation ends.
It is imperative for the civilian and military leaders to jointly take measures to secure the gains of military operation. The reports of Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) in many cases are still pending without any action, which is alarming.
One can argue that the heated debate in parliament and criticism against the military leadership over the ISPR statement might be an effort to torpedo General Sharif’s US visit. The questions being raised by the parliamentarians of a possible military takeover would definitely have an impact on the bargaining position of Pakistan in nuclear talks with the US.
