By SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP
All nations have an army, but the Pakistan Army has a nation to itself.
So, the recent turn of events in Pakistan, where the three-year extension in tenure granted to the powerful Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was suspended by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, came as a total surprise.
It was initially said that a sense of uncertainty had gripped Pakistan. Was the Pakistani judiciary standing up against the chief of the force that controls everything in that country? It also led to fears of a possible coup in Pakistan, which is known for being run by dictators or someone like current Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is known more as a ‘selected PM’ rather than an ‘elected PM’.
Such was the enormity of the move that Pakistan’s Law Minister Farogh Naseem resigned from his position to become the lawyer for the government in support of Gen Bajwa.
The Pakistani cabinet had to meet hours after the initial verdict and there was a flurry of activities.
All these developments came to be seen as an indication that the powerful Pakistan Army was being challenged and its chief being cornered.
This also led to many, including in India’s defense and security establishment and this author, to believe that disgruntled senior officers upset with Gen Bajwa’s extension were behind the turn of events.
This was because as many as 17 three-star generals, who could have had a chance to become the chief otherwise, would end up retiring before Gen Bajwa hung his boots.
However, as they say, when it comes to dealing with a smart enemy that thrives on deniability and lies, never be taken in by what you see.
The before-after picture
Before we go further, let us pause and consider how Pakistan was seen before the drama unfolded.
Pakistan was largely seen as a terror-sponsor not doing enough to tackle the global menace of terrorism. It was seen as a failed state ruled by the ‘deep state’, a failed democracy with a controlled judiciary and a failing economy – and amid all this, there was the Imran Khan government that had no credibility.
But what is the picture that emerged after the episode involving the judiciary and the army?
Both have come out looking good. While the Pakistani judiciary is seen as independent and gutsy, the Pakistan Army, which has been criticised for being the real power, appears to be an institution that is not in control of everything in Pakistan.
The event came across as if the Army Headquarters or deep state is not the ‘real’ government and does not control the Imran Khan government.
The bigger and the more important outcome was that Pakistan was being seen as a democratic state.
Pakistan has managed to churn out a completely new image of itself, which is at odds with what it held just before the so-called clash between the judiciary, Prime Minister Imran Khan and the army chief.
An orchestrated deception
Now that the dust has settled, a closer look reveals where the deception lies.
The fact is that there is no rift in the Pakistan Army and there cannot be any rift within the force.
There has never been an occasion when a serving army chief has had to face a coup by his juniors. Of course, there is the example of former President Gen Zial-ul-Haq. But then, a number of factors were in play and his death continues to be a mystery.
As for Gen Parvez Musharraf, he found himself cornered by the deep state but he had passed on the baton of the army chief to the cunning Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the former ISI boss and the real mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Officers monitoring Pakistan closely say that anyone who disagreed with Gen Bajwa has already lost out on promotions, retired or relegated to inconsequential posts.
They believe that the entire turn of events was orchestrated by the deep state to change the image of the Pakistan Army and the Imran Khan government in the eyes of the world, while also ensuring that any legal issue regarding Gen Bajwa’s extension is settled once and for all without resorting to any sort of strong-arm tactics. It was a timely image makeover that Pakistan badly needed.
It is unimaginable that a random petitioner, advocate Riaz Hanif Rahi, would challenge the army chief and a three-member bench will take up the matter forcefully without any guaranteed protection to their future, especially their life in a country where people critical of the deep state suddenly vanish or are killed.
So, while one might continue to think that the khaki uniform in Pakistan has lost some of its sheen, remember that Gen Bajwa’s army continues to be the only army in the world with a nation to itself.
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