Generally speaking

Most of General Jehangir Karamat's severe criticism of the Nawaz Sharif government is well-founded and will not surprise the political es...

Most of General Jehangir Karamat8217;s severe criticism of the Nawaz Sharif government is well-founded and will not surprise the political establishment in Pakistan. It is the army chief8217;s decision to go public with his complaints that is shocking. In the last three years through all the political crises buffeting the country, Karamat has been very circumspect.

Although he was believed to be influential behind the scenes, he was not seen to play an overtly political role either in Benazir Bhutto8217;s fall or Nawaz Sharif8217;s rise and disputes with the judiciary and former President Farooq Leghari. Karamat8217;s reluctance to intervene openly in recent constitutional crises reinforced his reputation as a professional soldier with no taste for political life. Here was an army chief, a rarity in Pakistan8217;s public life, who seemed determined to play by the rules of the democratic system.

So when such a man finally decides to take his gloves off a few months before retirement, it can mean one of two things. Either thegeneral has had unsuspected political ambitions all along or Nawaz Sharif is making a right mess of governing Pakistan and patriotic duty compels Karamat to speak out. Either way, the general8217;s harsh words have delivered a blow from which the already weakened Sharif government will find it hard to recover.

As a calculated indictment of Pakistan8217;s prime minister, Karamat8217;s speech to the Navy war college in Lahore will be hard to beat. His statement about the destabilising effects of insecurity-driven, expedient policies is the most damaging because it is so accurate. Many will see in the accusation that the government is responsible for escalating religious fanaticism, a reference to Sharif8217;s attempt to Islamicise the law and society which both hardliners and moderates have opposed as a political ploy. Other failures Karamat mentions are mismanagement of the economy, continuing violence in Sindh province and the neglect of small provinces.

Sharif will have few defences to offer on all these counts. It isnoteworthy that the general concentrates his attention on the domestic agenda. If he has a quarrel with the Sharif government8217;s security and foreign policies, this is conspicuously absent from the speech.

Considering how crucial those policy areas are to the political and economic health of the country at this time, it is necessary to ask whether what has not been said is, in fact, Karamat8217;s chief concern. In short, has he chosen this moment to break his silence because the Sharif government appears to be moving towards signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty? This will have to be watched closely over the next few weeks since it is well known that the political establishment is not of one mind on the issue of the CTBT.

When the general recommends a national security council he is advocating as former president Leghari did an institutionalised role for the army in the governance of the country. Standing on the edge of political chaos, many Pakistanis may find the idea attractive. They would bemistaken. It will mean a return to martial law.