In panic mode: PM battens down the hatches

PML-N leaders directed to avoid making controversial statements

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister House is said to be in a state of panic. And justifiably so. Last week’s statement of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, which made headlines in the national media, was a telling example of growing unease in the security establishment over the government’s dilly-dallying on key issues involving the military.

Gen Qamar said during a visit to Kharian garrison that “there will be no compromise on the dignity of Pakistan Army”. The military didn’t specify the context of the statement, but sources say the army chief was responding to questions from military officials about a ‘dormant inquiry’ into the Dawn leaks controversy and Rana Sanaullah’s criticism of military courts.

After Gen Qamar’s statement, it’s not business as usual at the Prime Minister House. Nawaz Sharif conferred with his trusted aides on how to control the damage done to civil-military ties by the recent developments, insiders told The Express Tribune.

“As a first step, Sharif has stopped PML-N leaders from making statements against the military courts without the permission of the central leadership,” said one insider. “Even low cadre leaders of the ruling party have been directed to avoid making statements, especially about the security establishment, that might trigger controversies.”



Not everyone would participate in TV talk-shows. According to insiders, the PML-N has designated a handful of officials to serve as the party’s talking heads on national issues, but they too have been directed to follow the party’s guidelines.

The ruling party believed the Dawn leaks controversy would die down with the departure of Raheel Sharif from the Army House, but they were mistaken. Gen Qamar’s statement has unnerved the ruling party.

The security establishment is reportedly not happy with the government’s attempts to hush up the row triggered by the publication of a ‘planted news story’ in the English language daily Dawn in Oct, last year.

The security establishment believes the ‘fabricated story’ was fed to the paper by government officials to malign the military. Following angry reaction from the military to the story, the then information minister, Pervaiz Rashid, was sent packing and an inquiry was ordered.

Subsequently, reports made the rounds in the news media that the jobs of some senior bureaucrats serving at the Prime Minister House were also on the chopping block. But nothing happened.

In November, the government set up a seven-member committee, headed by Justice (retd) Aamer Raza Khan, to probe the matter and fix responsibility. It transpired later that Justice Khan had close relations with the Sharif family. Nothing has come out of the inquiry thus far, much to the chagrin of the security establishment.

Relevant circles believe if the security establishment refused to relent, some officials of the Prime Minister House might be made ‘scapegoats’. “Someone has to pay the price,” an insider told The Express Tribune. “And that someone would most probably be baboos (civil servants).”

The official spokesperson for the Prime Minister House, Musadik Malik, was approached for the official version on the story, but he didn’t reply to phone calls, SMSs and WhatsApp messages.

Premier Sharif’s Adviser Ameer Muqam denied there was any strain in the civil-military relations. “Some issues have popped up that need to be seen in a particular context,” he said without elaborating.



Asked about Rana Sanaullah’s criticism of the military courts, Muqam said the Punjab law minister has already retracted his statement.

Political analyst Kanwar Dilshad says the government’s ‘mishandling’ of contentious issues prompted the ‘tough stance’ from the security establishment. “The way former army chief Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif was trolled on social media and in TV talk-shows was bound to have consequences,” he told The Express Tribune.

“Rana Sanaullah’s statement added fuel to the fire. Then there is the planted story issue that has been hushed up in a highly dubious manner. My advice to the government is, ‘learn your lesson and stop playing with fire,” Dilshad said.

He said Gen Qamar’s message is loud and clear. “There’s no going back. The prime minister might have good intentions to develop a cordial equation with the security establishment, but there are people around him who like to play games. And this will backfire.”

Former federal minister Mushahidullah Khan is reportedly among one of the hopefuls for the slot of Sindh governor. Informed circles say this could also be one of the reasons for the strain in the civil-military relations. Khan had to quit his ministerial office after he accused the then ISI chief, Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, of plotting to overthrow the PML-N government.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2017.