Overemphasis on the statement that the Army is just another State Institution functioning under the government can be misleading and certainly is pregnant with many misconceptions. Technically and constitutionally it is certainly so, but the ground realities of this country tell quite another story. Once the country’s Prime Minister appoints a promoted 4-star General as the COAS, the appointee suddenly becomes the most powerful man in the country. In this respect I will recall an interesting statement Dr. Kissinger had given: “Pakistan’s Army Chief in terms of the exercise of his powers can easily be regarded among the strongest individuals on the globe”.
It was not an overstatement. The Article 6 or no article 6, the Army Chief of Pakistan has only to make up his mind to overthrow any government. He has nothing much to do in this respect except to alert the Rawalpindi Corps Commander and to order the triple one brigade to get into action.
The country’s history says that whosoever in the 4-star uniform exercised this ‘unconstitutional’ but ‘inherently available’ authority was showered with laurels and received with joy. Even General Zia Haque had an overwhelming support in the PNA ranks that constituted roughly half the Nation. General Ayub Khan was received with greater celebrations. And General Pervez Musharraf was welcomed even by Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto who had been living in ‘an exile forced by her political adversary Mian Nawaz Sharif.’
The question here arises: WHY THE ARMY and its Chief happen to enjoy so much power?
The answer is manifold.
The primary reason is that Pakistan by birth and rationale is a Security State whose defense is dependent on the Power of its Army.
The other reason is the political chaos and the rising ‘unpopularity’ of the government in power preceding the intervention.
The third reason is the failure on the part of the Politicians to take into account the Security Concerns of the Army while formulating the Foreign and the Defense policies.
It goes to the credit of the three Army Chiefs since the fall of the Musharraf regime that no advantage was taken of the follies and the failures of the corrupt civil governments that succeeded General ( r ) Musharraf.
Today the National Need is to encourage a dispensation in which the Prime Minister is seen as Captain of the powerful trio, the other members of which are the Army Chief and the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
This subject of ‘Civil-Military’ relations needs to be dumped for good. The ground realities have to be embraced with a positive mindset.
I am sure Imran Khan is too cerebrally gifted a man to be dragged into the quagmire of the issues that the subject of the Civil-Military relations gives birth to.
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