A scandal over a murky memo that warned the Pentagon of a possible military coup in Pakistan has highlighted historic tensions between the weak civilian government in Islamabad and the powerful military, whose help Washington needs to battle militants fueling violence in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's Supreme Court began hearings this week into who was behind the memo, keeping the spotlight on a controversy that has added even more strain to US-Pakistan relations. The affair also threatens to undermine Pakistan's wobbly democracy as the United States seeks to mend those ties.
“The Memogate issue is likely to have negative repercussions on the US-Pakistan relationship,” said Lisa Curtis, a former CIA analyst and State Department official now with the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.
“Many in Washington policy circles believe that forces that wish to undermine democracy in Pakistan are behind the affair.”
Zardari returned to Pakistan on Monday from medical treatment in Dubai to face questions over the memo that a Pakistani-American businessman delivered to the top US military officer earlier this year pleading for US help in staving off a military coup.
The businessman pinned the origins of the memo on Pakistan’s former ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani.
Haqqani, who resigned at the height of the affair, denies the allegations. Zardari's position may protect him if the probe were to prove links to the memo but the scandal could still threaten to force him out of office.
The controversy comes at a particularly tense time as US investigators prepare to unveil a probe into an incident in late November in which Nato aircraft killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers along the border with Afghanistan.
The Obama administration's response to "Memogate" has been muted, perhaps in part reflecting resignation among US officials to troubled ties with an uneasy ally for now.
The two countries faced a series of crises in 2011: the arrest of a CIA contractor, the unilateral US raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil and the closure of Nato supply routes through Pakistan.
The US State Department says the memo scandal is an “internal matter” for the Pakistani government. On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman George Little, speaking generally about the US-Pakistan relationship, said the United States was committed to pushing through difficult issues.
“It's not going to be easy but with a lot of work we think we can do it,” he told reporters.
Questions about Pakistani motives
There are also doubts in Washington about how much turbulence Pakistan's fragile democracy can withstand and whether courts can conduct a fair trial in a charged climate.
“The fact that the Supreme Court has now been involved gives (the memo matter) extra importance and legitimacy,” said Shujaa Nawaz, a Pakistan scholar with the Atlantic Council.
Pakistan's top court is now moving ahead with the petition, filed by Nawaz Sharif, Zardari's chief opponent, raising questions about the political motivations for the case.
Bruce Riedel, a former CIA and White House official who chaired President Barack Obama's 2009 review of US policy on the region, said Sharif himself initiated a similar petition over a decade ago.
He recalled a 1999 meeting with Sharif's brother Shahbaz, who he said traveled to Washington to warn of what civilian officials at the time feared was a brewing military coup.
“It was an entire day spent at the Willard Hotel listening to Shahbaz talk about their fears that a military coup was coming and asking for American help to prevent it,” he said.
“That's pretty much the charge (that) is being leveled against Ambassador Haqqani.”
A coup did ultimately happen, in 1999, bringing General Pervez Musharraf to power until he resigned as president in August 2008.
COMMENTS (16)
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The "Memogate" disclosed the schism between the executive and the military. Prime Minister Gilani was doing the right thing by voicing his concern about the machinations of the military, which had usurped the political power of the executive. In no way should the military of a country be seen as a state in a state, as it could lead to a junta government, restricting the rights and freedom of the civilians.
@Syed: Your point is well taken, but I am trying to emphasize that ET should not add pictures with every news item.
@Raj: how about the following new link where News Title and Picture simply doesn't match? Care to raise the similar question there? http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/30/nato-attack-on-pakistani-troops-was-deliberate-senior-pakistan-general-says/
I can point you with so many articles where ONE title contains multiple Story twisted in one way or the other with regard to Pakistan. I hope you got my point what I am trying to say here!
ET, why every news story has to be accompanied by a File Photo?
@Majid: Allah SWA is definitely watching and will serve His justice eventually to UNJUSTS and these unjusts believe they are the mightiest but will crumble when the Supreme Court of Supreme Courts (Allah SWA's court) renders its deceision against powers that are unjustly killing human beings (His creation) around the globe.
@ahmad: It's somewhat a valid point but one wonders why do people of Middle East and some people in Western countries are most of the times protesting and chanting slogans against the US. Everyone can't be irrational or overly sentimental I believe. This points out to one thing that the US and NATO are on course to a wrong path against the masses.
Oh well. It's not like Pakistan's involvement is worth anything more than supporting the image of regional stability. Pakistan has no idea what stability is or how to achieve it so says history. I don't know how anyone expected any of the input to be truly worth a thing. Its always been more like if you let Pakistan feel important, everyone else in the region will be safer. The moment a single embarrassment occurs the whole country goes off the deep end blaming and killing everyone else and many times each other.
Its american governments fault for killing 24 Pakistani Soldiers. These children are fed up with America and Nato attacks, simple!!!. Freedom of expression. Even kids can see the real enemy behind its gates. Pakistan must now pull out of this unknown war and leave NATO and America to wonder blindly. America economy is in recession and more money is spent on War heads then fixing the country. Allah is watching.
@sam: "Memo issue diverted my attention from NATO attack to Haqqani and Zardari."
Here is a brief timeline of events: 1. Mansoor Ejaz's article in financial times which referred to the memo was on October 10
2.Haqqani had already resigned due to the memo issue on Nov 22.
NATO strikes happened on Nov 26.In light of these sequence of events, your statement that memogate was an attempt to distract from the NATO strikes makes little sense. If anyone has paid more attention to the memo issue than NATO strikes, it is the media, judiciary, key opposition party.
PAK has a long tradition of peaceful transfer of power from one civilian government to another. A Coup would be unheard of.
Memo issue diverted my attention from NATO attack to Haqqani and Zardari.All those Nato supply trucks,Shamsi airbase and other policy issues no longer dominates a daily news paper.
Two wrongs a right do not make.
US' must reshape the style , the way She always interact after engaging Pakistan in their own policy framework.US must not treat pakistan as its colony located somewhere in remote location of the world.In future' relations between Pkistan and US can only be sustained through mutual respect and desire to move along with honour.
Why is that anti-USA rallies are carried by children, religious extremists parties,banned terrorists organization? The reason is agencies cannot gather any one with even 1% intellectual capacity for its agenda.