“The soldier is the army. The soldier is also a citizen”
Notwithstanding persistent lobbying and campaigning by some vested interests and the hype created by the media regarding extension in the tenure of COAS General Raheel Sharif, there are credible signs to suggest that he was going to retire on due date as per his announcement. This will effectively end the debate on his extension and those who have been suggesting and salivating for it and even urging him to take over, will have to eat dust.
The truth is that some vested interested deliberately tried to tempt the military to make a move. To begin with, in the wake of a statement by the visiting US Senator John McCain that he was deeply impressed by leadership skills of General Raheel Sharif and hoped that he would continue to lead Pakistan, thousand of banners and streamers suddenly appeared on the streets of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Hyderabad and Karachi, demanding intervention by General Raheel. This also coincided with a campaign on the social media that launched scathing attack on politicians and an impression was created that the imposition of martial law was imminent. It was indeed very reassuring that the ISPR through a statement unequivocally said that the Army supported democracy and had nothing to do with the calls urging General Raheel to launch a coup. It was a timely shut up call to those who were demanding a military coup.
For quite some time a sustained campaign has also been run to denigrate the civilian government and project a larger than life image of General Raheel Sharif. A debate was also triggered on the issue of extension in the tenure of General Raheel Sharif that reached such a high crescendo that the ISPR had to clarify on behalf of the general that he did not believe in seeking extension and would retire on the due date. That did set at rest the raging debate on the issue. Nevertheless one Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi did file a petition in the Supreme Court Lahore Registry demanding three years extension in the tenure of General Sharif maintaining that it was necessary for elimination of terrorism and restoring peace in Karachi. The petition however was dismissed by the court.
Unfortunately we have a very strong lobby within the country which is beneficiary of the undemocratic regimes and therefore is always on the lookout to rock the boat of democracy by promoting anti-democratic narratives and urging the generals to intervene. A deliberate campaign was unleashed by these elements to make the people believe that the solution to the challenges confronting the country lay in the hands of the generals. Those who urged a military takeover, probably were not aware of the fact that inciting the military commanders for a take-over is tantamount to treason in terms of article 6 of the constitution.
These elements are not the well wishers of the country. They are completely blind to and unmindful of the damage that the ruling generals have done to Pakistan. It would perhaps not be an exaggeration to say that the phenomenon of terrorism that poses an existentialist threat to the country and sectarianism which is destroying the social harmony are the gifts of the military dictators whose ill-conceived and self-seeking policies pushed the country into the crucible of a precipice. General Raheel has been trying to clear the mess created by the military dictators. Army as an institution is supposed to defend the frontiers of the country and assist the executive in dealing with internal insurgencies and challenges to the writ of the state as and when required. It has no constitutional role beyond that. Any conduct to the contrary by the military commanders is unconstitutional, particularly dabbling into the civilian affairs, arm-twisting of the elected governments and military take-over. It also constitutes breach of the oath that they take at the time of commissioning in the Army and the advice of the Quaid to them to show subservience to the elected governments.
What General Raheel has done in the line of duty is quite commendable and needs to be appreciated considering the fact that none of his predecessors proved himself equal to the task of fighting terrorism with the commitment and resolve that he has displayed in dismantling the infrastructure of the terrorists in North Waziristan and restoring semblance of peace in Karachi. He is indeed leaving behind a commendable legacy. Nevertheless the overall credit for showing the spunk to take on the terrorists through Zarb-e-Azb and giving necessary political, legal and financial support to the operation lies with the government and the entire political leadership who unanimously supported the offensive.
The solution to the challenges facing the country lies in more and more democracy and strengthening the state institutions. It is said that the worst democracy is better than the most benign dictatorship. The dictatorial military rules are an aberration and take the country further away from its cherished goals as they weaken the state institutions which are a guarantee for taking the country forward and leading it onto the road to progress. Democracy is about incremental and durable change in line with the wishes and aspirations of the people carried out through the chosen representatives. There is simply no short cut to achieving the national objectives. We therefore need to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate things in the light of the vision bequeathed by the founding father. And that vision is making Pakistan a vibrant democratic entity.
The architects of campaigns aimed at undermining the representative government and involving Army in politics, actually tarnished the image of the Army as an institution and more so of the COAS. As a matter of principle extension in the tenure of the Army Chief is wrong. It can have demoralising effect on those in the line of promotion and aspiring to succeed the coveted position. In a way it also reflects on the competence of other generals to shoulder the responsibility. Army is a highly disciplined and professional institution and to my reckoning those who are lucky enough to make it to the rank of a lieutenant General are equally competent to lead the Army. What actually is required is the institutional commitment to deal with a problem. As General Raheel in his statement regarding retirement on time said, the Army is committed to eliminate terrorism and the campaign against terrorists will continue unabated till the scourge is totally eliminated. Whoever succeeds General Raheel is bound carry forward the mission without any let up or slackness. It is now a national resolve to fight it out against the terrorists. The government also has an unswerving commitment to take the fight against terrorism to its logical end.
