A winning combination

PM and his kitchen cabinet unintentionally manufactured a miracle by appointing General Raheel Sharif the army chief

On June 5, 2013, when Nawaz Sharif roared into the prime minister’s office after keeping Imran Khan’s balla and Asif Ali Zardari’s teer at bay, barely had he perceived what Pakistan would look like more than two years later.

Disappointed and disheartened, Pakistanis voted for change amidst fading hopes. Their country’s abysmal state demanded of Nawaz Sharif his maturity to strengthen institutions, grit to wipe out terrorism and honesty to deracinate conflicts of interest. At one point seemed that the government had failed to rise to the occasion. Cooking up one controversy after another, the prime minister and his kitchen cabinet unintentionally manufactured a miracle by appointing General Raheel Sharif the army chief.



While some analysts keep comparing today’s Pakistan to previous eras where the military remained dominant, it has to be noted that the general has provided soles to worn-out moccasins. The positive: Nawaz Sharif and his aides have complied. We see anti-corruption agencies and other sleeping state offices finally doing their jobs. This was something hard earned for the general. He didn’t smile at the dharna boys. He challenged ‘eent se eent baja dena’-like threats. Above all, he is trying to counter extremism like no other Pakistani premier has dared to. The adulation that General Raheel is receiving has come under criticism from some quarters. But getting pictured for leading from the front is no sin. His laidback predecessors failed to counter militancy. His political colleagues never tried building a sincere national narrative to counter the one propagated by extremists. He has done both.



As terrorism destroys its targets, every bomb blown adds financial value to its initiator. The general exposed this link between business and mafia. Addicts of rampant corruption compromise the country’s strategic interests. They feed this mafia to preserve their power. External forces deploy ideological manipulations by feeding criminal activity. The lesson? Terminate corruption to end terrorism. But any watchdog with past baggage will fail in this area. Therefore, the general enjoys the support of Pakistanis. Yet, their ultimate verdict will depend on an across-the-board cleansing, stretching from dirty mosaics to murky boots.



The state is initiating new friendships and limiting damaging associations. The criterion is the upholding of the national interest. It took a while for Nawaz Sharif to learn that it was self-destructive to spread love when India was not ready for such overtures. Mending relations with India when both sides are prepared to talk on an equal footing, is the way to go. With crumbling oil prices, Russia is now a friend in need. Pakistan stood with Saudi Arabia for conflict-resolution. China finally offered gold instead of peanuts.



Assessing Pakistan on an ideal power-sharing formula and democratic principles without context is illogical. The dynamics of developing countries alter frequently. Lessons must be learnt. The Middle East’s chaos and Pakistan’s own militancy offer many. The military must take all forms of militancy down and the government must act against the corrupt. Pakistanis are finally optimistic about their country. If any stakeholder decides to opt out of this cleansing operation, they will take charge themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th,  2015.

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