KARACHI: This is with reference to your editorial of January 12 titled “No more coups, please”. In my humble opinion, there has never been any threat of a military takeover this time around. Things are different today, compared to, say, a decade ago. Almost all political parties, the media, civil society and the judiciary have all made it quite clear that another military adventure is unacceptable. The army chief himself has on numerous occasions emphasised that he is in favour of democracy and that the military will not take any step that is unconstitutional.
I have had the pleasure of knowing General Kayani personally. I can say without any reservations, that he is an extremely professional soldier and a patriot to the core, and he will never think of any misadventure. He fully understands the consequences of such interference.
With regards to the army being subservient to the civilian government, let me make it very clear: the army has no business interfering in matters of government, directly or indirectly. However, having said that, I will add that this is exactly what General Kayani is working for. The army's involvement in the civilian affairs over the last 60 years or so will take time to diminish, and cannot be completely eliminated overnight. The country is in a complete state of collapse with all institutions destroyed in the last four years.
Therefore, in all earnestness we should accept a steady progress towards that goal and continue to support our gallant armed forces, whose members are deeply involved in safeguarding our country against both external and internal threats.
Regarding the military’s press releases, the institution is a very large one and its rank and file need to be kept satisfied on matters that directly affect their morale.
Brig (retd) Naveed Nasar Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2012.
