We have consistently argued here and in private that Pakistan must "transition" - that this "transition" has a State (institutions) and society level elements to it and as far as institutions such as the Pak Fauj and ISI are concerned, it would be beneficial, as in smart, to be ahead of these transitions and in doing so be able to be retain and even increase, their influential -- Yet the reactionary amongst us have found this a bitter pill - it is incredible, that these reactionaries are as far removed from reality as they are; we have argued that these transitions are necessary and that if resistance to these is offered in an unsophisticated and objectionable manner, these institutions will find that the transitions will have a coercive quality to these reactionaries and the institutions they influence.
Today, the US wants a list of all ISI who had dealings with Osama and Al-Qaida, tomorrow what will seek, as they dismantle (simply by examining in public) organizations that are heavily influenced by the character and values of those who lead these organizations (Fauj and ISI)
Muse,
Can you please quantify what needs to be done in this transition?
I have spent a good deal of time on this thread and still have had no real answer as to what is being proposed in terms of enhancing the COIN capability of our state.
I am not too sure about reducing manpower at this stage, simply because we need troops in numbers to deny space to insurgents and to assist with the reconstruction and infrastructure development.
High Mobility is already achieved through SSG which has been increased in numbers to provide the air assault capability in various theaters of war.
Coming to the nation narrative and strategic vision, the need for this is not just confined to the military and hence we need a broader forum for this in which the different stakeholders need to contribute to build something multidimensional and in tune with the reality.
To me, the need to restructure ourselves in order to ensure across the board visibility for all the key players in this COIN is essential and of far more consequence than retooling a few divisions towards more mobility.
We can modernize the military in the long term but in short term we can handle it with current forces, provided the strategy is clear and execution is coordinated and not just limited to military.
I have proposed a National Security Council in this regards which will not just improve the COIN effort, but also pave way for a greater and much more stable Pakistan which does not suffer the policy hiccups and strategic brain freeze it has suffered from in the past.
We cannot have isolated strategy for agencies, military, police, judiciary, legislation and interior/foreign ministries...they all need to have clarity in vision and coherence in functionality!
All these tools of the state have to tread a uniform strategy.
A national security council should be created so that any and all shortcomings are addressed in a transparent manner...
At least transparent to the key heads who have better understanding of their domains and the various bottlenecks, shortcomings and procedural issues that plague them.
To develop a national narrative and to ensure that it is enforced/followed in true essence, we need all these divisions to work together on one forum.