Time To Re-Think & Re-Establish Civilian & Pakistan Military Relations

T I M E T O
R E - T H I N K & R E - E S T A B L I S H
C I V I L M I L I T A R Y R E L A T I O N S
I N P A K I S T A N
T I M E T O
R E - T H I N K & R E - E S T A B L I S H
C I V I L M I L I T A R Y R E L A T I O N S
I N P A K I S T A N
By Sultan Suleman Chaudhry

Time & time again Pakistani people are told
that the next military or democratic ruler
will be better than the previous ones, who
will bring prosperity in the lives of common
people but nothing changed.
BACKGROUND
&
CONSEQUENCES
Time To Re-Think & Re-Establish Civil Military Relations In Pakistan By Sultan Suleman Chaudhry
However, two things changed - first the
people behind the curtains (responsible for
change) becoming stronger & more visible,
second the ruling elite thrived even if the
country did not.

FROM
MILITARY
RULE TO
DEMOCRACY
There has been transfer of power from
military to democratic rule and we have
witnessed a smooth transition of third
democratic government too, but each time,
the losing political parties cried foul play in
elections and that raises more questions than
answers.
The reason being Pakistan has seen and made
some progress in democratic process but the
true power succession from the military to the
civilian government hasn’t takes place.

Ask yourself that even at the best of times in
our history when the greatest of army
generals were in power and when we have
transitioned into the third democratic
government, why it did not have a positive
impact on Pakistan’s political and economic
stability?
MILLION
DOLLAR
QUESTION?

When Imran Khan, came to power we expected he
will bring sweeping changes to existing obsolete
governing system and much needed reforms in all
departments of the government such as police and
bureaucracy.
AFTER 22 YEARS OF
STRUGGLE AGAINST
THE STATUS QUO
IMRAN KHAN
BECOMES PRIME
MINISTER
Because this is what he told us for 22 years and
Imran Khan likes to play on the front foot but
gradually he became defensive and guessing
subdued by unforeseen forces and as a result no
reforms because the bureaucracy serves a vital
purpose to the military establishment’s needs.

It is pertinent to mention that even Imran Khan, who
struggled for 22 years before becoming PM, was
openly very critical of the military rulers and how
establishment interferes with civilian governments.
But he has become so compliant and humble that
almost day in and day out he has to say that, his
government and military establishment is on the
same page.
AFTER 22 YEARS OF
STRUGGLE AGAINST
THE STATUS QUO
IMRAN KHAN
BECOMES PRIME
MINISTER
Being on the same page is good, when the matter
concerned is only related to national security of the
country.

But when other things under the disguise of
national security come within its preview and
when democratic governments amend or
introduce new rules to entertain the military
establishment’s needs, all of these damages
the political and economic stability in the long
run for the country.
OUTREACH BY
MILITARY
ESTABLISHMENT
INTO CIVIL AFFAIRS
The Effect

As a by-product on the other hand it
empowers and emboldens the
military establishment even more.
RESULT OF
THE
OUTREACH

To put all his into context let
me take you back into 2019.
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

Prime Minister Imran Khan on August
2019, extended the term of General
Qamar Bajwa, The Army Chief, by three
more years as he was due to retire on
November 2019. The decision was taken
in good faith and in the name of
‘Regional Security Environment.’
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

Ask yourself, aren’t all the past decisions
taken by military as well as democratic
rulers taken in good faith?
Is It Worth It?
Because we have seen the consequences
of such good faith decisions and as result
where Pakistan stands at the moment.
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

Let’s not forget to mention how all the
saga of the extension of Army Chief
unfolded; first the Supreme Court of
Pakistan suspending the extension, then
giving the General a six-month extension
and ordered the government to decide
and make the matter clear. Matter In
Supreme Court
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI
government introduced a legislation in
the Parliament that would allow PM
Imran Khan and any incoming future
prime minister of the country to extend
the tenures of all the Chiefs of armed
forces of Pakistan.
PTI's Initiative On
The Matter
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

The main opposition parties including
the PML(N) and PPP voted in favour of
the bill and as a result the legislation was
passed hurriedly.

Even the PML(N)’s stance was very much
against the military establishment’s
involvement in civilian affairs.
Opposition's
Unequivocal
Support
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

But to no one’s surprise both PML(N) and
PPP, both bowed down under the
pressure of corruption charges their
senior leadership was facing and as a
reward got some relief too from the
courts and National Accountability
Bureau.
Tit For Tat
EXTENSION
OF ARMY
CHIEF

I don’t blame or feel disappointed as to
why these two parties agreed but feel
dejected as this was the time Imran
Khan should have stood his ground to
his own previous stance on the matter
not to extend tenure of army chief in any
circumstances, while he was in
opposition.
IMRAN
KHAN
OFFICIALLY
BECOMES
PART OF THE
STATUS QUO

This was a clear betrayal of his previous
stance as well as to his supporters and
irreparable damage to the democratic
forces in the country that in turn
undermines civil governmen supremacy.
IMRAN
KHAN
OFFICIALLY
BECOMES
PART OF THE
STATUS QUO

It’s not hard to understand the influence
of army establishment on civilian
governments in Pakistan, that they are
able to do so as they desire, even with
Imran Khan, who had no baggage with
him that could compromise him.
THE
COMPRMISED
GAMEBut even if he did not have any excess
baggage that we know of, nonetheless
now he has some and with each day it’s
going to get heavier and heavier.

Having said all this, the army
establishment directly has never
stopped any civilian government or their
leaders to work for the betterment of
their countrymen by enacting and
implementing polices that deliver the
desired results.
ON THE
CONTRARY

BACKGROUND
To better understand why the army
establishment is entrenched in civilian
government affairs and want to remain the main
game changer in the political sphere behind the
scenes is that because it owns two of the biggest
businesses, namely the Fauji Foundation and the
Army Welfare trust.
WHY THE
INVOLVEMENT
&
WHAT TO DO

The Business Empire
Some of the Fauji Foundation assets
include hospitals, chemical plants,
fertilisers factories, sugar mills, prime real
estate and even a financial institution
named Askari Bank in its portfolio.
WHY THE
INVOLVEMENT
&
WHAT TO DO

The Business Empire
These and other military corporations
exist for a reason and they operate on a
national scale and directly operated from
the military GHQ.
WHY THE
INVOLVEMENT
&
WHAT TO DO

The Previllages
The result is that we see some of the industries
are either protected from competition by various
subsidies or easy loans, tax breaks and other
benefits. That is why so many retired senior and
junior officers running various factories,
companies, hotels and posted at some key posts
within the government as well as private sector.
WHY THE
INVOLVEMENT
&
WHAT TO DO

When even the intelligence agencies work in
compliance to army establishment’s wishes, then
the army establishment can wield complete
control when it utilises this capacity to use force
or any means necessary to interfere and influence
the local politics.
THE COLLUSION
&
THE RESULT

We need to rethink and re-establish civil
military relations and the starting point
should be to transfer all business operations
(even CPEC) from the military to civilian
government or sell them.
WHAT
TO DO

When the military will be de-linked from the
array of businesses it has, only then an era of
true change will come to Pakistan where
democratic governments work for the
betterment of ordinary people and everyone
is equally accountable.
WHAT
TO DO

CONCLUSION:
THE GAME CHANGER
The Pakistan military establishment has
long been The Judge, The Jury and The
Executioner.

The politicians know that they alone
cannot come to power corridors without
the help of military establishment or to
put in plain terms without their blessings.

CONCLUSION:
THE GAME CHANGER
The military establishment allows them to
run the governments as they like, make a
mess of it and make tons of money in the
process.
But when things go wrong the military
establishment uses this as a leverage to
amend rules and become more entrenched
in the democratic fabric by changing the
main player with a substitute player.

CONCLUSION:
I myself, along with many others thought that,
Prime Minister Imran Khan will stand by his
words, principles and commitments and deliver
on his pro smise for a ‘Naya’ (New) Pakistan but
he too surrendered to the will of the mighty in
Pakistan.
No doubt forming governments with coalition
partners require compromises but one should
rise to the occasion as a leader who remains
steadfast and committed to the greater cause
against all adversity.

CONCLUSION:
DIVIDE & RULE
Instead of transforming Pakistan into a new era
of prosperity, the unforeseen forces have
transformed Imran Khan.

Army establishment has ruled Pakistan same
way as the British ruled the Subcontinent,
“DIVIDE & RULE”.

CONCLUSION:
THE CHAOS
When in a country you create two systems of law
(justice); one for the ruling elite and the other for
everyone else, then we end up with a plethora of
problems.

All the above creates political dissent,
government distrust, inequality, lawlessness,
anarchy and chaos in the country, which had
been prevalent in every era of Pakistan’s military
and political rule alike.

Time To Re-Think & Re-Establish Civilian & Pakistan Military Relations

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