No agenda for the meeting of the DCC was issued which has naturally led to guesses about what the participants were likely to discuss. It has been suggested that issues of internal and external security would be thrashed out along with a briefing by General Ashfaq Kayani over the adjustment of the army in Swat and the security situation in Afghanistan. The DCC however cannot afford to ignore the revelations made in the WikiLeaks which have become the most widely debated issue.
The reports lead one to conclude that the civilian and the military leadership in Pakistan are not always on the same page. Instead of resolving differences, they have been blaming each other while separately meeting US officials particularly the former US envoy to Pakistan. The COAS and ISI chief are reported to have told Anne Patterson that there were concerns in the military about corruption and bad governance on the part of President Zardari. They have also maintained that the operation in Waziristan had to be delayed because of objections from the President who cited political reasons for postponing it. They reportedly told Patterson that but for the spanner thrown by Zardari in the works, all was set to initiate backchannel talks with India. On his part, Zardari is reported to have told a top US official that while he is in agreement with the US aims in the region, he is powerless to deliver on account of opposition from the military. He is also reported to have told the then British Foreign Secretary David Miliband that his men ( army officers and ISI) were not sharing critical information with him This indicates deep seated misunderstandings between the civilian government and military establishment.
What one expects from the DCC is that it would provide the government and military leaders with a forum where they can resolve their differences instead of taking them to foreign dignitaries which is not in consonance with national dignity. Perhaps the meetings of the DCC have been less frequent than was required for removing the mistrust prevailing between the two sides. Unless resolved in time, misunderstandings could lead to intrigues and plots that the country can ill afford.
