Army chief’s olive branch?

One of the first things Yousaf Raza Gilani did as prime minister of the country was to convene a high-level huddle with the military leadership soon after taking oath of the office in March 2008. The agenda was one point— the deteriorating security situation. Remember 2008 was the time when Pakistan was descending into the worst phase of violence. Frequent terrorist attacks shook the resolve and confidence of the nation. But the transition of power from military to civilian rule had given people hope. They thought change of government might bring the change in approach. And the optimism was not off the mark considering the fact that the army was on the back foot because of the controversial policies pursued by General Pervez Musharraf. The army’s public approval rating was at the lowest. Its image was battered. The new Army Chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, was desperate to control the damage. That was the reason he, soon after assuming the charge, took a number of decisions, including withdrawing men in uniform from civilian institutions. In a nutshell, Gen Kayani was not in a position to dictate the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government, as his hands were already full to clear the mess left by Musharraf’s almost 10-year rule.

The incoming civilian government could not ask for a better situation to have its way in policymaking, especially on the security front. Against this backdrop the first encounter between the prime minister and military leadership was important. Gen Kayani, given his preoccupation with other issues, sought prime minister’s guidance on national security and assured him that the army under his command would follow policies the civilian government intended to pursue. It was an unprecedented offer given how the security establishment often holds sway on foreign and national security matters. But to Gen Kayani’s and others’, who were present at the closed-door sitting, utter surprise, premier Gilani asked the army chief to decide whatever he felt appropriate for the country’s national security. Gilani’s reluctance to take the lead was a manifestation of the fact that our political parties seldom do homework on such critical policies. It was also surprising in PPP’s case given the fact that their own leader and former prime minister had fallen victim to terrorism. Yet, it was ironic that the party did not have any plan to offer to the military leadership. That opportunity for the civilian leadership to be in the driving seat was missed.

More recently, the incumbent government was also presented with a somewhat similar opportunity by the army chief. General Qamar Javed Bajwa, accompanied by the DG ISI and other senior military officials, gave a rare briefing to the Senate on national security. It was an in-camera briefing, but details were trickled out. Gen Bajwa told lawmakers that the army fully backs the democratic institutions and is ready to follow whatever policy the government and Parliament formulate. Some would certainly argue that making such a claim is one thing but implementing is another. But let’s take his offer on face value since Gen Bajwa distanced himself from the policies of his predecessors. He rightly pointed out that he could not be held accountable for past policies pursued by the military establishment.

Although the general elections are a few months away, Parliament, the government and other civilian institutions must take his offer seriously and as a challenge. If our political elite are sincere, they can still come up with a comprehensive national security strategy that caters to our current challenges. It is easier to point fingers at the security establishment that they never let the civilian government to work but the difficult part is to offer an alternative strategy. But if civilians continue to abdicate their authority either because of their incompetence or political expediencies, other institutions, including the army, certainly will not mind further encroaching on their territory.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2017.

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