
The general reportedly said that the country had suffered for the lack of an appointment of a foreign minister for the last four years. He is right, and that fact has been lamented in these columns many times. There was circumlocution when it came to the issue of Pakistan joining the Saudi-led military alliance and reference made to the April 10, 2015 parliamentary resolution that caution was to be exercised in joining the alliance, our relations with Iran being of key importance. There was denial in respect of army involvement in the current political fracas, likewise the Panama leaks and a distinct impression of irritability with assorted conspiracy theories. The general also came close to an admission of failure, saying in response to a senatorial question about military roles in past foreign policy failures: “We all made mistakes in the past. Let’s move on now.”
In as much as it is possible to divine meaning, it appears the baton is placed firmly in civilian hands, and the expectation is that the civilians will also move on, acknowledge their own mistakes and not repeat them now or in the future. We admire his optimism, even if we do not entirely believe it well placed.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2017.
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