Ramazan is also known as the month of peace; perhaps that is why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s close aides and colleagues are claiming that the party leadership has mended its relationship with the military establishment.
According to them, the prime minister has turned on the charm to woo the irked military leadership.
In other words, Sharif senior and his knights are no longer in favour of sticking to any issue that will anger the Pindi-wallahs. At least, this is what the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is at pains to tell everyone who is willing to listen.
In the past few months, it had become apparent that some government policies had made the military leadership deeply uncomfortable; such as Sharif’s insistence on talking peace with the Taliban.
However, other issues simply added to the problems: such as the government’s intransigence on Musharraf (continuing with his trial for treason as well as opposing his efforts to leave the country); its support for Geo TV (which had accused the Inter-Services Intelligence of trying to assassinate anchor Hamid Mir). Another issue was said to be some of Khawaja Asif’s fiery statements against the military around the time that Musharraf was indicted.
“The government has fallen into line; in the future, confrontation will be avoided,” an office bearer of the ruling party who is close to the top leadership told Dawn.
He argued that the party hawks who had been in favour of sending out “the message of civilian supremacy” to the military too have realised that it is better to tread cautiously in the face of increasing pressure.
Some television anchor-soothsayers agree. “As Imran Khan continues to breathe down the government’s neck with his demands of recounts and electoral reforms and Tahirul Qadri rages on, the PML-N must have thought it appropriate to mend its fences with the military,” remarked one of them.
The fog that surrounds civil-military relations makes it difficult to confirm such issues publicly.
However, military officials are willing to concede that some efforts have been made to mend fences.
For one, the launch of the operation in North Waziristan and the manner in which the military is controlling the narrative on it indicates that the government has conceded on matters of terrorism and national security.
A serving senior military official, who has been engaged with the meetings between the two sides, referred to the July 17 visit of the prime minister to GHQ. Sharif visited the headquarters for four hours – the official said that the extended visit would not have been possible unless the ice had been broken.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Adviser to the PM on National Security Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi accompanied the prime minister.
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif met the prime minister at the latter’s office twice - on July 9 and 16 – before the military extended the formal invitation to the prime minister to visit the GHQ.
“Though the primary focus of these meetings was Zarb-i-Azb, the ongoing military offences in North Waziristan, the two must have discussed other issues as well,” added the military official.
On General Musharraf, the PML-N source said, his case was already in the Supreme Court and if the Court provided relief to the former dictator by removing his name from the ECL, the government would not contest it.
In mid-June, the Sindh High Court had accepted retired general Pervez Musharraf’s petition and ordered that he be allowed to travel abroad but the government appealed against this order in the SC.
Another PML-N official claims that this appeal was one reason for the rift between Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Sharif.
Whether or not Khawaja Mohammad Asif will continue with the additional portfolio of minister of defence, those within the PML-N argue that in recent weeks Mr Asif has emerged as a staunch defender of the armed forces; he has given multiple interviews in which he praised the forces and was duly critical of Geo.
However, some still say that if there is a hint from the right quarters, he might be replaced to clear the air further.
What remains a little unclear is whether or not the government and the military are on the same page as far as Geo is concerned. Ruling party sources say that the issue seems to have been settled as the news channel was fined Rs10 million and forced to close down for 15 days. Time will tell if this will satisfy the military.
Even if the two sides agree on this matter, this is not to say that the political government and the military will now live happily ever after. The relationship is inherently tense. What is to be seen is how the government handles the relationship and any possible points of friction that will crop up in the future.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Pakistan: Parliament Watch: As threats loom, Sharif charms his way back into GHQ
Ramazan is also known as the month of peace; perhaps that is why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s close aides and colleagues are claiming that the party leadership has mended its relationship with the military establishment.
According to them, the prime minister has turned on the charm to woo the irked military leadership.
In other words, Sharif senior and his knights are no longer in favour of sticking to any issue that will anger the Pindi-wallahs. At least, this is what the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is at pains to tell everyone who is willing to listen.
In the past few months, it had become apparent that some government policies had made the military leadership deeply uncomfortable; such as Sharif’s insistence on talking peace with the Taliban.
However, other issues simply added to the problems: such as the government’s intransigence on Musharraf (continuing with his trial for treason as well as opposing his efforts to leave the country); its support for Geo TV (which had accused the Inter-Services Intelligence of trying to assassinate anchor Hamid Mir). Another issue was said to be some of Khawaja Asif’s fiery statements against the military around the time that Musharraf was indicted.
“The government has fallen into line; in the future, confrontation will be avoided,” an office bearer of the ruling party who is close to the top leadership told Dawn.
He argued that the party hawks who had been in favour of sending out “the message of civilian supremacy” to the military too have realised that it is better to tread cautiously in the face of increasing pressure.
Some television anchor-soothsayers agree. “As Imran Khan continues to breathe down the government’s neck with his demands of recounts and electoral reforms and Tahirul Qadri rages on, the PML-N must have thought it appropriate to mend its fences with the military,” remarked one of them.
The fog that surrounds civil-military relations makes it difficult to confirm such issues publicly.
However, military officials are willing to concede that some efforts have been made to mend fences.
For one, the launch of the operation in North Waziristan and the manner in which the military is controlling the narrative on it indicates that the government has conceded on matters of terrorism and national security.
A serving senior military official, who has been engaged with the meetings between the two sides, referred to the July 17 visit of the prime minister to GHQ. Sharif visited the headquarters for four hours – the official said that the extended visit would not have been possible unless the ice had been broken.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Adviser to the PM on National Security Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Fatemi accompanied the prime minister.
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif met the prime minister at the latter’s office twice - on July 9 and 16 – before the military extended the formal invitation to the prime minister to visit the GHQ.
“Though the primary focus of these meetings was Zarb-i-Azb, the ongoing military offences in North Waziristan, the two must have discussed other issues as well,” added the military official.
On General Musharraf, the PML-N source said, his case was already in the Supreme Court and if the Court provided relief to the former dictator by removing his name from the ECL, the government would not contest it.
In mid-June, the Sindh High Court had accepted retired general Pervez Musharraf’s petition and ordered that he be allowed to travel abroad but the government appealed against this order in the SC.
Another PML-N official claims that this appeal was one reason for the rift between Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Sharif.
Whether or not Khawaja Mohammad Asif will continue with the additional portfolio of minister of defence, those within the PML-N argue that in recent weeks Mr Asif has emerged as a staunch defender of the armed forces; he has given multiple interviews in which he praised the forces and was duly critical of Geo.
However, some still say that if there is a hint from the right quarters, he might be replaced to clear the air further.
What remains a little unclear is whether or not the government and the military are on the same page as far as Geo is concerned. Ruling party sources say that the issue seems to have been settled as the news channel was fined Rs10 million and forced to close down for 15 days. Time will tell if this will satisfy the military.
Even if the two sides agree on this matter, this is not to say that the political government and the military will now live happily ever after. The relationship is inherently tense. What is to be seen is how the government handles the relationship and any possible points of friction that will crop up in the future.
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