Adil Najam
The military is never really out of the news in Pakistan. Nor is it ever far from the center of Pakistan politics. But recent event have brought the question of where the Pakistan military is headed into even sharper relief than usual.
There is much speculation – maybe too much speculation – on where the Pakistan military is headed in the coming days and weeks.
There are some who argue that following the attack on the GHQ the military will act even more swiftly on extremists in Pakistan – whether in the Waziristan region or in Southern Punjab. Others feel that the furore created by the Kerry-Lugar Bill has so poisoned the civil-military relationship in Pakistan that even the immediate future of Pakistan’s political displacements may (again) be in doubt. Yet others would argue that while the tensions are all real, the military is in that phase that comes after each prolonged period of military rule when it prefers to remain in the political background while it consolidates its public image.
My own current sense is that there may be some truth in all three scenarios. Possibly in a combination of the three. Of course, there could be other directions in the mix too. What do you think? Where is the Pakistan military headed in the next many days? And what does that mean about where Pakistan is headed?
I think the position of the Pakistani military is much closer to the people’s stance on US aid than the current civilian rulers’. In the minds of most of the people, the generals opposing the conditions in Kerry-Lugar are real patriots standing up for the nation’s sovereignty. Coming on the heels of the successful Swat operation, such a situation is likely to raise the standing of the military while diminishing the stature of the politicians.
“Why do we need ISI.”???
to counteract CIA and RAW’s nefarious activities, the two entities that hate ISI intensly, and perhaps to keep zardaris, sharifs and other polticians in ceheck.
@Haroon
Yes I want an intelligence agency that is active and feared abroad, and is also feared by traitors, terrorists and corrupt politicians internally. ISI currently performs this task and its abilities should be enhanced.
Since ISI is also the only agency collecting external intelligence for Pakistan, those who talk about its dissolution clearly are not interested in safeguarding the Pakistani state.
This weekend’s dramatic attack on the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, the military center of Pakistan, underscores the volatility and fragility of politics in the world’s second largest Muslim country. The Taliban attackers demonstrated that despite losing the campaign in the Swat Valley this summer, they retain the capacity for terror in the heart of Pakistan – striking, in effect, into the Pentagon of Pakistan. And the attack, which left 16 dead, will almost certainly revive concerns about the capacity of the Pakistani army to protect its nuclear arsenal. If the Taliban can get into army headquarters, where else might it strike next?
http://ahraza.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/pakistan-th e-next-nuclear-nightmare/
ISI should retain its repute as the first line of defence for the country.And much more than just defence it should keep an hawkish eye on its neighbours.
Consider this scenario:
Russia invades Mexico and occupies the country and conducts daily air strikes on the US-Mexico border,killing people and demands more Russian troops to be sent to Mexico.Do you think CIA would sit still and watch things happening from the sidelines?
80% of Pakistan’s problems stem from its eastern landlocked neigbor and there seems no end in sight.
Whoever argues for ISI’s dissolution is playing music to the Indians.Infact I would go a step further,it should be further strenthened into an impregnable intelligence and counter intelligence outfit and it must remain under the military command answerable only to the COAS.
The prime ministers of this country are too weak and imcompetent to be reported to.