Today, Pakistan is going through a crisis in which civil-military relations have deteriorated, although this is not the first time. It was said that in the current setup, after a long time, the civil-military has come to the same page.
The military leadership has repeatedly said that it stands with the current political leadership and has demonstrated its sincerity many times whenever the government is in trouble. In Islamabad, it was also said that the Prime Minister only makes speeches and the rest of the government is done from Pindi.
Imran Khan has also praised the cooperation of the military leadership many times in his speeches and interviews. But what to do? After three years, every prime minister begins to realize that he is the real ruler. Historically, most civil-military relations deteriorate in the third year of power. Nawaz Sharif’s first government ended within three years, Benazir Bhutto was ousted within three years, Nawaz Sharif’s second term ended within three years.
Mr. Gilani also delivered the famous speech in the Assembly three years later in which he called for a state within a state and even said in an interview to a Chinese newspaper that General Kayani and General Pasha were directly involved in the Memogate scandal. By submitting answers, he violated the constitution.
Nawaz Sharif fought again in the third year of his third term and we all know the outcome. Therefore, it is not surprising for me that Khan Sahib stood up at that time and did not immediately approve the nominated new DG ISI, because it is now three years since Khan Sahib became the Prime Minister in August. The officers with whom our politicians come to power after secret meetings and negotiations will surely be surprised.
At that time, our brave political leaders, wrapped in a carpet, lie on the back seat of a big car and go to meet the officers, saying that they are being benefited, and when the same politicians become arrogant, they are definitely in trouble. Why has this servant changed so much?
The question is that every time there is a problem with the deployment of DG ISI. By the way, if you remember, this problem was created by Bhutto when he issued an executive order to the ISI to shut down the rhetoric of his political opponents, in which he was given the powers for the first time in Pakistani politics. Can play its role. Thus a political cell in the ISI was formed on the orders of Bhutto, whose job was not only to keep an eye on Bhutto’s political opponents but also to inform them of their activities.
When President Zardari’s lawyer Babar Awan started advocating in reference in the Supreme Court, I had the opportunity to read many public documents of the Supreme Court. Zardari and Babar Awan wanted the court to overturn the death sentence handed down to Bhutto.
For this reference, Babar Awan sacrificed his ministry and left the post of law minister to become a lawyer in this case. These documents revealed that the intelligence agency not only kept Bhutto informed of all the political activities of his opponents but also provided them with details of their telephone records and conversations.
Thus, the importance of this agency gradually increased not only for the political prime ministers, but also for the periods of General Zia and General Musharraf, and they began to play a decisive role. Its role in the formation and dissolution of governments also increased, and you and politicians also began to travel here to gain power. This was the reason that in the 1990 elections, Rs. 14 crores was distributed among politicians to defeat Benazir Bhutto.
Thus, the political role that Bhutto had given him was one day being used against his own daughter, which Bhutto used to use against his political opponents. When did Bhutto think that one day his own daughter would fall prey to the executive order he had issued to protect himself from his political opponents? General Hameed Gul had taken regular credit for forming a political alliance of different parties in the name of IJI against Benazir Bhutto in order to defeat her. Whenever General Hameed Gul was asked about this, he also referred to Bhutto’s order that this work was done by Bhutto in the charter of a regular agency.
When the politicians felt that they could not become the Prime Minister or the Minister without the support of this agency, they also conceded defeat. It has been the wish of every Prime Minister to somehow make the head of ISI his servant of trust. Benazir Bhutto appointed a retired General Klu as DG, while Nawaz Sharif appointed a regular DG ISI as Army Chief, forcing him to lose the government. Nawaz Sharif also wanted to use this agency like Bhutto.
On the other hand, when General Zia-Ud-Din Butt sided with Nawaz Sharif against his serving army chief, then every army chief also thought that the DG ISI should be his own trusted general so that he could be with the Prime Minister.
Don’t go against them together, while the Prime Minister was of the view that if the DG did not do what he wanted, his political opponents could conspire against him. Prime Minister Imran Khan also feels that if there is a DG, his power will be more secure. A DG has to keep in touch with the Prime Minister at all times.
Considered very close. The Army Chief meets occasionally but the DG ISI can meet whenever he wants. The problem still arises that the Prime Minister considers himself more comfortable with General Faiz.
Interestingly, everyone continues to criticize the political role of the Prime Minister’s Agency, but no one is ready to withdraw Bhutto’s executive order. They all like the political role of the agency, especially the role that is being used against their political opponents, but bad if someone else uses the same role against them. Pakistan’s political system is still paying the price for Bhutto’s 45-year-old decision.