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Journalism of Courage
It is axiomatic in Pakistan that the army is not only the last important institution but also the most powerful. It has declared itself as the guardian of the country’s ideological as well as territorial borders. For more than half a century, it has played the dominant role in domestic politics as the major partner in the political and economic power structure of the Islamic Republic. That the post of the army chief, therefore, assumes a critical significance in the life and governance of the state should not be of any surprise to anyone familiar with Pakistan. What is interesting is that each of the army rulers of Pakistan have propagated their own versions of democracy while retaining their hold on the levers of power, especially the model that emerged in the ’90s where elected governments were allowed to function within defined parameters.
Nawaz Sharif’s mistake was that he moved far too quickly to alter the established norm of a special role of the army. Everyone, no doubt, learnt the lessons. General Musharraf’s commitment last year to hand over the post of army chief by the end of December this year enabled the constitutional amendment to be passed after a degree of bargaining since the politicians wanted him to hand over by October. Musharraf signalled the likelihood of his continuation in both posts beyond the promised date. And the Punjab assembly promptly took the lead by passing a resolution asking him to continue as army chief. And now the Pakistan cabinet has quickly blessed it further by having “decided” he should stay on the grounds that times have changed (as they invariably do), and that the constitution does not disallow it. On the heels of the cabinet decision, the Balochistan government also submitted a resolution urging Musharraf to stay on as army chief.
It is clear that General Musharraf would be going to New York with the unambiguous and confident endorsement that he will be the army chief as well as the president of the country for the foreseeable future. In other words, no distracting parallel power centre at the head of the army would emerge anytime soon. Washington is unlikely to be unhappy since he is seen as a key factor in the US war against terrorism and the Pentagon is re-building its relationship with the Pakistan army. From India’s perspective, the issue remains an internal one. Musharraf is committed to the composite dialogue process which is to lead to normalisation and peace between the two countries, occasional roadblocks over Kashmir notwithstanding. Musharraf’s commitments, given last January, form an important benchmark which should shape his upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York.
