Pakistani Resident
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ISLAMABAD: It’s not clear what prompted General Raheel Sharif to issue the latest statement that has all the vagueness to cause misunderstandings between the civilian and military leaderships.
Apparently, it has either to do with the recent statements of two federal ministers — Khawaja Asif and Khawaja Saad Rafiq — or is aimed at protecting dictator General (retd) Musharraf from the high treason case. In either case, it would have been prudent to avoid issuing such a controversial statement.
Why? If the army chief’s statement is in response to the recent outburst of two Khawajas, then firstly, neither of them targeted the army but the dictator facing a high treason case. Secondly, for their harsh words even against the dictator, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had already snubbed them and the matter was reported by The News and Jang on Sunday.
Kh Saad Rafiq had labeled Pervez Musharraf as a traitor and had advised him to behave like a man instead of taking refuge in the ICU. Kh Asif also questioned the “bravery” of Musharraf. He also ridiculed the accused dictator. None of the two ministers had uttered a single word against the Pakistan Army. There has been no indirect reference or any hint even in these statements to conclude that the target of the Khawajas was the institution of the Pakistan Army.
More importantly, within a few days after the aggressive statements of the defence and railway ministers, Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif snubbed his ministers. It was The News that had reported on last Sunday that Nawaz Sharif had asked the two Khawajas in particular and other cabinet members in general not to cross the limits of decency in their criticism of General (retd) Musharraf.
“Disapproving the recent statements of both the Khawajas, who recently used harsh language while referring to the Musharraf case, the prime minister conveyed to his ministers to maintain decency and must not say anything that in any manner is interpreted as targeting the institution of the Pakistan Army,” The News report read.
After all this, there was no need for the army chief to respond and that too in a manner where the media gets limitless space to interpret it in any way. Some media men have already started interpreting it in a fashion where differences between the military and civilian leaderships are created and fueled. Some die-hard supporters of Musharraf are using it for their save-Musharraf campaign.
If General Raheel’s statement is aimed at protecting Musharraf from the high treason trial, then in such a case it is a negation of the rule of law. Musharraf was a dictator who had hurt Pakistan and the army in many ways. He is the head of a political party. He is the one who had suspended the judges. He is not the army.
Musharraf does have some following here. He might also be liked by some in the army. But a very large number of Pakistanis dislike him for what he had done to Pakistan, the army and the national institutions. Barring a small minority, the majority of Pakistanis love their army. Therefore, abhorrence against Musharraf for his “crimes” against Pakistan and his trial under the high treason charges should not be seen as an abhorrence against the Pakistan Army. I wish General Raheel had not issued this statement.
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