The military has not had a smooth ride with the PPP whose ruling family it has traditionally despised. Far from subordinating itself to the elected government, it runs the country’s foreign policy in more or less an isolationist fashion not suited to Pakistan as a state bedevilled by internal weaknesses mostly inherited from military dictators. When the Mumbai attacks happened in 2008 at the hands of some non-state actors from Pakistan, the first PPP-military crisis was unleashed. If there was any delusion in the PPP that it could exercise its right to run the foreign policy of the country vis-à-vis India it was shattered. The party thereafter learned to ride tamely behind the military and its powerful ISI.
Unfortunately, when elected prime ministers are threatened by the establishment in Pakistan, public opinion doesn’t side with them. It is only with hindsight that we admit that Muhammad Khan Junejo was perhaps our best prime minister. When he was sent home by General Zia after a foreign policy quarrel everyone plus his own party immediately adjusted to it. Today, analysts blame the frankenstein of the warrior mullah that emanated from his prosecution of the proxy war in Afghanistan and Kashmir. When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was toppled by the army in 1999 on a foreign policy issue, the same thing happened again, perhaps because the people of Pakistan have developed a pavlovian reflex of salivating when an elected government is not allowed to complete its term.
The good sign is that the opposition leader and formerly-removed prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has decided not to follow the ‘toppling’ reflex and has asked a few questions that the media will not ask. He thinks that the death of Osama bin Laden has been given the wrong spin: instead of protesting breach of sovereignty by the US force that flew in and killed him in Abbottabad, Pakistan should demand to know why he was found in Abbottabad and how he could live there for months without someone within the military knowing about it. A journalist who dared to report that certain sections of the military may have been penetrated by al Qaeda was mysteriously killed. Just like the judicial commission inquiring into the Osama bin Laden death, the judicial commission on the death of this journalist may find itself probing in the wrong direction because no one will depose to it honestly.
The media is clearly partisan. It will not comment honestly about al Qaeda and its terrorist auxiliaries favoured by the establishment for fear of being attacked; it will not take a position in defence of the democratic transition of power in the country. The reaction in a section of the press is that the PPP government is wrong and is even guilty of treason. We always thought that it is the military officer usurping power through a coup who is guilty of treason. We may want to try a civilianised General Musharraf for treason; some of us may even think of the army’s rejection of the Kerry-Lugar Bill. The good sign is that Mr Sharif has forsworn the stance of his party’s leader in the National Assembly and will not abort the system by making his party resign from the National Assembly. He recalls that in his time too he had asked the US to get the army off his back but to no avail. The ‘memo affair’ should be taken in stride and not treated as a crisis of the state.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 20th, 2011.
COMMENTS (12)
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Excellent editorial.
Most of pakistanis do not like the truth, but follow their party affiliations. Truth is drowned in search for strong men. It appears nobody has learned any lesson in past dictatorships in the country and outside. Gaddafi was ousted after thousands were killed, same is true of Tunisian leaders , Egypt and now Syria. I prefer a system where the President has to defend himself if accusations are made. matter investigated and in the end truth prevails. As long as military does not march in, I am not worried. Establishment is against Zardari because he is the one who stands in the way of dismissing the elected government. Most of the presidents in the past dismissed the governments, joined hand with army If the army marches in Islo, I know most of Pakistanis will show a sign of relief to 'get rid of the evil politicians. Army cannot come back when it faces the anger of the Masses. And it knows it will not happen. And civilians can be ousted, but khakis will stay without time limits and respect for any law, except its own.
What you do overlook in your editorial is the fact that PPP Govt is hated among the public due to its bumbling incompetence and corruption.
Take the Power sector, the Railways or the PIA. Need I write anymore?
Is it a crisis of the state.if mid term elections are held?
"The ‘memo affair’ should be taken in stride and not treated as a crisis of the state."
ET seems to pronounce a judgement even before an investigation into the memo has been completed. Rather premature I would say.
If I am not mistaken, ET ran an editorial declaring that the Pakistan Senate has delegated the Foreign Policy to the Defense Establishments and no one need challenge that.
The current editorial seems to disagree with the earlier editorial.
Can I request you to reprint that earlier editorial and if there is a shift in ET's stand ( welcome though it is) it should be made more explicit.
So the public does'nt support the Civil Govt and the media is clearly partisan. What does the future have in store for Pakistan? the arrival of Gen Zia II is awaited.
"When the Mumbai attacks happened in 2008 at the hands of some non-state actors from Pakistan" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I would day like this: "When the alleged Mumbai attacks happened in 2008 at the hands of some alleged non-state actors allegedly from Pakistan."
The fact that the deep state of Pakistan was deeply involved is adequately proven by the contents of the memo a la Memogate.
First step towards redressal is honesty, painful as it may be.
"Pakistan should demand to know why he was found in Abbottabad and how he could live there for months without someone within the military knowing about it."
I would say days or hours or minutes or even seconds...after all 5 years is also made up of seconds.:)
The role of media, particularly press has always been very hostile and negative with respect to elected governments in Pakistan whenever the occasion arose. The military coup in 1977 and 1999 were prompted by press. The army chiefs were openly invited by two leading Urdu dailies to intervene and dismiss the elected Government. Similarly the dismissal of elected governments in 1990, 1993 and 1996 were also initiated and uphailed by press. What is happening these days. The media started inimical and hostile campaign against the elected government just on completion of one year of Government. What is the role of eletronic media today? Its leading anchors are leaving no stone unturned to convince the world that Pakistan Government is the worst Government of the world and it should be dismissed by any power, may it be military, a foreign government, CIA or even RAW. It is understandable that the ante-government and ante-state propaganda campaign is in fact the bread and butter for the owners of media machinery. They will celebrate when the elected government will at last be dismissed and some other power will take over.