Army breaks silence: Support for civilians, but no denial of Wiki

The Pakistan military finally reacted to leaked US diplomatic cables saying it supports the political setup.

ISLAMABAD: Though guarded, the Pakistan military finally reacted to leaked US diplomatic cables on Saturday, saying it supports the political setup and holds the civilian leaders in “esteem”.

However, the notably brief and carefully-worded statement issued by the military’s spokesperson stopped short of actually denying and rejecting whistle-blower website WikiLeaks’ awkward  disclosures – which include memos regarding Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s purported intentions to persuade President Asif Zardari to resign, and his “distrust” for PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

Major-General Athar Abbas said that, “Gen Kayani holds all political leaders in esteem including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.”

Another interesting part of Gen Athar Abbas’ statement was the line: “The army has a demonstrated policy of supporting the political process within the confines of the Constitution of Pakistan”.

The military’s reaction comes a full week after WikiLeaks started making public classified US diplomatic memos it has obtained covertly.

Over 18,000 of 251, 287 official messages are about Pakistan. But WikiLeaks has so far just released over 500 of those messages, which have caused much embarrassment for the country’s top political  and military leadership, as well as for foreign allies.

The leaked US cables reveal Gen Kayani’s frequent meetings with former US ambassador Anne Patterson, during the judicial crises in March 2009.

In one such meeting, according to the memos, Gen Kayani told Patterson that he may have to persuade President Zardari to resign if the situation deteriorates. “Kayani made it clear that regardless of how much he disliked Zardari, he distrusted Nawaz even more,” Patterson said in the cable. The military spokesperson did not offer any comment on Patterson’s claim.

Many political leaders, including Sharif, had hailed the appointment of Gen Kayani as the army chief and said he was a “professional” soldier. The government’s decision to extend his term had also been lauded by all political parties.

The WikiLeaks have exposed the military’s might in the political arena and experts say it could take more than a statement for Gen. Kayani to regain his “lost public image.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2010.