Lessons for Pakistan

EDITORIAL:Daily Times

By arresting the former military chief General Ilker Basbug, Turkey’s elected government has put the military in its place by making even the highest-ranking officer accountable to the law. The ex-General has been arrested over his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and suspected of forming, directing and funding a terrorist network by the name of ‘Ergenekon’ through websites. Turkey’s powerful secularist army has played a major role in the country’s politics until Erdogan’s Islamist-based Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power through the ballot in 2003. Initially there was apprehension that being an Islamist party, the AKP would erode the secular character of the country much to the dismay of the secularists, including the military. However, nothing of the sort happened. Moreover, the performance of Erdogan’s government was excellent and his party’s economic and foreign policies brought prosperity to the country. The fact that it won a majority of seats in parliament for a third consecutive term is proof that the AKP, under his premiership, has and continues to enjoy enormous public support. In fact, it is due to this popularity that Erdogan’s government has been able to roll back the influence of the military and made it accountable to the civilian government — no small feat. Through good governance, Erdogan has challenged the civil-military imbalance — something that was bound to incur the displeasure of the army, which has often been suspected of attempting to repeat the past by weakening the grip of the incumbent democratic government.

With as many as four military coups and the execution of a prime minister, the history of Turkey — with regards to its power-hungry military — bears a striking resemblance to that of Pakistan, where the military is still seen as the most powerful institution in the country. Therefore, Pakistan must learn from the example set by Erdogan’s democratic government in order to rewrite the military-dominated chapters of its dark history. The civilian government must strive to come up to the expectations of the people and serve the very purposes for which they were elected. Secondly, the military — individually and/or collectively — must be held accountable for all its actions. It is only through these means that democracy in Pakistan can be protected, supremacy of the law and parliament in the country ensured, and the military made to function within the parameters of the law and constitution and under the authority of the federation.