Doctors or the Disease

I agree with Abrar`s views. Much debate has already taken place about Pakistan Army`s role in politics.

Some suggest that Army and Kashmir are two sides of the same coin. However, this is not entirely correct. The predominance of Pak Army in politics has more to do with the British Martial Races policy than the Kashmir issue. Even if a settlement is reached with India over Kashmir (with or without the facilitation of third-world powers), the Pak Army will continue to retain its position of dominance in Pakistan.

Sometimes this influence will be exercised overtly e.g. like the Ayub, Zia and Musharraf governments.

At other times, this influence will be exercised ``behind the scenes`` e.g. the role played by General Abdul Waheed in breaking the constitutional deadlock between Nawaz Sharif, Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Manzoor Wattoo in 1993.

Military influence, in my opinion is necessary, to ensure the continuity of democratic process. However, this influence should always be exercised from behind the scenes. Musharraf`s concept of ``bringing the Army in, to keep it out`` will not work because it will permanently stunt the growth of democratic institutions.

Terminating military influence in Pakistan is virtually impossible and perhaps even unnecessary. The political parties in Pakistan should push for greater reform and transparency of the military. One way to accomplish this, is by forcing Musharraf into compromises that he doesn`t want to make.

For example, Musharraf insists on staying on as Army Chief and President simultaneously. The opposition should instead offer him 10 years of Presidency in return for taking his uniform off. Musharraf may be given the power of appointing the next Army Chief.

Full agreement with the Abrar`s views.

Army is itself the disease plaguing this poor country rather than the cure it never tires of repeating to the now stupified poeple of this nation.

Probably it does not want to solve the very problem for which it is advancing the theory of necessity.

For Kashmir we have wrecked our own country due to this doctrine of necessity and look where it has landed us.

Now we are in a position where even the Kashmiris don`t want to
accede to Pakistan.

But we are continuing with our self destruct mode of living.

All this for a small piece of land?

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INDIA THANKS MUSHY,

Kargill invasion is the best thing that happened to india. 25 years of peace, the lahore bus yatra and the idea of pecae had luuled the fools of delhi into a belief that india is not a jihadic frontier. Kargill invasion and the largest casuality in indo pak war has once and for all altered the indian mind set. It has prepared india for the pre-emptive doctrine, india is talking about a premtive strike, which would not have happened with out help from mushy. Now india has more thyan doubled the defence, military production is commercialised, india is going to emerge as a weapons exporter, at last gandi is dead and buried.

Aerial refueling, AWACS, aircraft carriers, cruise missile, drones, bubs, the missiles, the whole lot os abuzz and one has to thank mushy for this. At last india is realising that if nearly 10 percent of the GDP is not on defence, it will have no say in world affairs and hence in economic issues. This is a world where military might only matters, as shown by iraq, and thanks to mushy, india is ahead by at least for years.

One can well imagine, if it were not for kargill invasion, what would have been indias military position. India has to get the missile defence system, aerial refueling, over the horizon radar, and vajpaye is your uncle.

Indians are finally accepting that jihadic border can only be managed, the jihadists from 200000 madrassas have taken over pakistan. The election to power of MMA is the convergence, the extent to which mushy went to put them in power is the final jihadic convergence in pakistan.

Pakistan awaiting formal offer


By Qudssia Akhlaque

ISLAMABAD, April 25: Pakistan is awaiting a formal offer for dialogue from India after responding positively to Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee`s recent peace talks` offer.

``The Government of Pakistan is now awaiting a formal talks` offer from New Delhi after having responded positively and pro-actively to Prime Minister Vajpayee`s April 18 statement,`` a senior government official told Dawn on Friday.


///I hope it will be a very long wait. Tunnel visioned mushy is out foxed by the politicians. The first ststaement by mushy was that first the kashmir issue has to be solved, while india talked of composite dialogue and confidence building measures. Now the mushy is accepting the idea of composite dialogue, it will be talks and tlaks. May the bus to lahore will be the oiutcome of the talks.

After a long time, a balanced article regarding the sordid state of affairs in Pakistan.

… “One major problem with the army`s role is that as an institution, it is convinced that its interest is identical to the national interest which it has defined without any semblance of a public debate. This leads to the conclusion that to justify our bloated defence budget, Pakistan needs an enemy. In our case, this means India. The logical inference to be drawn from this line of reasoning is that the Kashmir issue will never be resolved.

Another reason the army will never voluntarily loosen its grip on power is that the officer class is too accustomed to all the perks that go with running the country. Currently, literally hundreds of civilian jobs here and in our missions abroad are manned by serving and retired military personnel.

Housing estates and agricultural lands across the country have been parcelled out to officers as a matter of routine. Above all, they are virtually exempt from any sort of prosecution on charges of corruption. Every class has its own set of demands and requirements and normally, these are mediated with the state and some compromise is reached. In the army`s case, there is no mediation because it controls the levers of power.

Had the army`s monopoly on power meant simply the usurpation and waste of resources, we could have gritted our teeth and got on with life. Unfortunately, the assumption that GHQ is the source of all wisdom has many implications: for instance, when there is complicit relationship between religious extremists and the `agencies`, it is not possible for the enfeebled state to control the former. Their violent methods in Afghanistan and Kashmir cannot be switched on and off at will, and the result is the kind of hate-filled rhetoric and bloodletting we have grown so accustomed to.”

… “According to NAB chief, NAB has recovered three times more money from retired defence officials than civilians. To be noted, this despite of the fact that NAB has persecuted or prosecuted 10 times more civilians than khakis? The links to Pakistani papers corroborating this statement can be provided, if that required. So who is eating whom?”

Lets readers decide.

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I think there is a tendency to recycle the same very arguments hundred times over on Chowk. The same usual Indo-Pak tussle. The same very abuses keep on hurling back and forth.

Does this code of conduct serve any meaningful purpose?

Anyhow, this article is about the political role of the military in Pakistan? So are we better off due to khakis or heading towards disaster. I mean, in case if we are not already there.
What do we want? A decent civilian government, allowed to take policy decisions on its own and a political structure organically evolved or being dictated by the garrison?

I myself would like to the author or for that matter other worthy interactors:
If not military then who?

(i) MMA?
(ii) Benazir Bhutto and Zardari
(iii) Nawaz Sharif with Abba jee
(iv) Tahir Ul Qadri

And if none of these, as I suppose many would say then what’s wrong with the military? Could anyone dislodge NS in 1999 except army chief? Or anyone else who once succeeded in getting to the prime minister house?

Answers please.

Your statement of Ppakistani perspective of 1971 war reminds me of a story.

When VP Singh lost election in 1993, some reporter asked him about his opinion of the result. His response was that people have given Janata Dal a mandate to sit in the opposition. So, basically, he was converting a loss into a mandate ``for opposition``.

#28 by Studebaker on April 24, 2003 3:05pm PT

[Objectives of war is not always killing more than the enemy .Americans dies so few 60 thousands as oppoased to millins in Vietnam but American came back as LOSER nevetheless.]

Whichever way you look at it, be it the number of casualties, or the objectives of the war, it was Pakistan that lost in Kargil. You guys tried to grab land, a la Siachen Glacier, but failed miserably when your butts were handed over to you. As regards casualties, India lost about 500-odd soldiers whereas you guys lost around 1400 soldiers.

[In the same light none of the battles between India & pak has been unanimously discisive .Even when Bangladesh was ``lost`` Pakistan point of view is it went to previous E.Pak residents NOT to India.]

Another name for the so-called ``Pakistani point of view``: self-delusion.

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Our political leaders do not have much of a chance against the

most organized political force in Pakistan, the Pakistan Army.

The rest as we say is history...

Ras

Please, welcome me.
I am a newcomer on chowk. Yeah, at least as an active member.

A multi-dimensional article covering several aspects of the military’s meddling of the state affairs and its impact. I liked the references in particular.

By the way where is chowk’s own Field Marshal with his expert opinion? I have read about him a lot.

A balanced article. A direct result of the Pak high command`s interference is the religious intolerance that is tearing the fabric of Pakistani society. While Nawaz Sharif and BB were discredited from the recent elections, a criminal with over a dozen cases (mostly murder and terrorism) pending against him was allowed to contest the elections and is now a member of Parliament.

Yes, Azam Tariq, leader of the Sipah-e-Sahaba (now renamed as Millat-e-Islamia) is once again free. If the Pakistani Generals were really concerned for the country, how did they allow this traversity of justice?
Either they are no longer calling the shots and their Frankenstein of religious extremism is wagging the country`s tail. Or this is just one of their latest experiments at the cost of continual damage to Pakistan`s institutions. After all, having extremist elements like the MMA and Azam Tariq in power serves their interest of obtaining leverage with the United States as the last ``bastion of moderation`` in a sea of extremism.

Reply # 19 Pankaj

I know I am thinking too far ahead. That is what our leaders should be doing instead of thinking in a time frame of 2-3 years. I exeggrate to drive the point home.

Leadership is not being led by the people but taking an unpleasant course in the national interest and getting the people to follow. Mine is just one voice but when many such voices combine, these become a crescendo and a national conciousness developes on the issue. Believe me a large part of Pakistani younger generation born after 1947 thinks on these lines.