The cat is finally out of the bag
Pakistan’s recently retired COAS joining a foreign military alliance is bound to generate controversy. Eyebrows were raised when rumours regarding the co-option of Gen (rtd) Raheel Sharif by Saudi Arabia to head the military alliance knocked together by its deputy crown prince became rife. The issue was raised in the Senate in early January. While important ministers speaking on TV programmes professed ignorance, they affirmed that the former COAS would consult the government and fulfill legal and constitutional requirements before taking any decision. There was meanwhile no clarification from the military spokesman or the general himself.
The decision raises a number of disturbing questions. Throughout its history, irrespective of who was in power, Pakistan has supported Muslim countries while remaining neutral in their sectarian, territorial or regional disputes. The military alliance conceived by the Saudi government has an unmistakable sectarian character with important Muslim countries like Iran, Iraq and Syria having been kept out. What is more, a number of countries in the alliance are involved in the military intervention in Yemen. In pursuit of Pakistan’s consistent policy, Parliament had refused to become a party to the war. The recently retired Pakistani COAS assuming the command of the All-Sunni military alliance sends a negative message utterly inconsistent with a fundamental principle of the country’s foreign policy. The decision can have a divisive impact on Pakistan’s society and important national institutions
The decision raises questions about the government’s role in the affair. The PML-N leadership which enjoys close personal relations with the Saudi royalty could not have been ignorant of the development. Did these relations play a role in the government’s decision to issue the NOC to Gen Sharif in no time? A retired general close to the former COAS says GHQ would be formally intimated by the government that retired Gen Sharif’s services had been permitted as part of “state policy”. With Federal Minister Gen (rtd) Abdul Qadir Baloch maintaining that Raheel Sharif would become controversial if he leads military alliance, the government creates the perception of running with the hares and hunting with the hounds.
