Monitor
Civil Military Relations in Pakistan
May 1, 2014 to May 31, 2014
This Monitor of Civil-Military Relations covers the period between May
01- 31, 2014 and analyses the key issues affecting civil-military relations
in Pakistan during this time.
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Civil-Military & Media Relations
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The civil-military and media relations continued to be tumultuous in
May. The relations that soured after an attack on Mr. Hamid Mir1
continued to cast a long shadow on civil-military relations in Pakistan.
The fiasco created by the PEMRA meeting and its legality or illegality
for suspending the licences of three television channels owned by the Geo TV
network2 further intensified the perception that the Government
did not see eye-to-eye with the Military on the issue of the petition by the
Ministry of Defence. While the petition against the network remains with the
PEMRA, various officials of the Government including the President and the
Prime Minister continued to take a public position that it was against the
suspension or closure of any media house.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressing a conference in UK said that
the Government, Media and Army must work together for the country to take
Pakistan out of the multifarious and serious crises facing the motherland.
"We all have to join hands to move forward. Be it the media or
Pakistan's armed forces, the government or the security institutions, we all
will have to work together. Pakistan is surrounded by crises and we have
tried to put it back on track since coming to power," he said.3
On May 27,the Geo TV network and Jang Media Group tendered a public
apology to the Armed Forces and Inter-Services Intelligence for hurling
allegations against the D.G. ISI Lt. Gen. Zaheer-ul-Islam.In a statement, the
Group said that "After serious retrospection, editorial debates,
feedback and engagement with all parties, directly and indirectly, we have
concluded that our coverage immediately after the tragic and unnerving attack
on Hamid Mir on April 19 was excessive, distressful and emotional. The group
accepted that the coverage of the incident was misleading, disproportionate
and inappropriate giving impression of a campaign," although it
followed current media practices, including the version of the Armed Forces
with the photo of DG ISPR televised repeatedly. The group apologised to the
D.G. ISI Lt. Gen. Zaheer-ul-Islam, his family, Pakistan Army and large number
of television viewers for causing deep hurt.4 This appeared to be
a positive step towards the restoration of Media-Military relations but the
issue remains far from resolved.
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Statements by Sitting Ministers
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Despite a murky history
of sour civil-military relations in Pakistan pointing to the critical need of
utilising institutional and formal channels of communication on policy areas,
it appears that the PML-N Government, or at least some of its Ministers have
not learnt the value of this important lesson.
Some of the Government
Ministers continued to use news media - an extremely informal channel - to
air views point to the growing stresses in civil military relations again.
Insinuating that Mr. Imran Khan was following the diktats of the
"establishment" in taking anti-Government and anti-Geo position and
that attempts were being made to pit media against the Army and the Army
against the politicians.
An example in this regard
include RanaSanaullah Khan, Law Minister Punjab, in a press talk termed Imran
Khan as a toy in the hands of the 'establishment.' He said, "Establishment
Khan gheirjamhooriquowatokaaala-e-kaar ban gayayhain5."
While these may be valid
concerns of the Government but airing these in public is in neither taking
the State towards the solution of these nor towards the stability that we
require. Government has formal channels and institutions available to it to
voice issues and grievances. Those are the channels that must be effectively
and regularly utilised. Often, it appears, parties in Government forget it is
them who have been elected to power through popular vote. While the luxury of
a knee-jerk reaction may be available to opposition in making public
statements, the Government neither has nor should employ this strategy. At
the end of the day, the job of a responsible Government is to try to contain
and resolve conflict scenarios and not exacerbate those by taking sides,
tempting as it may be.
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Chief Minister Punjab meets COAS before
PM's departure to India
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Mr. Mohammad Shahbaz
Sharif, Chief Minister of the Punjab, met with the Chief of Army Staff
General Raheel Sharif on May 26, 2014. While the meeting details were not
officially disclosed, the media reports suggested the meeting had taken place
to discuss Prime Minister's visit to India.6
In the constitutional
demarcation of roles and powers in Pakistan, provinces and Provincial Chiefs
have generally no official business to interact with the Military Chiefs.
Perhaps the successive meetings have more to do with the person of the Chief
Minister Punjab, younger brother of the Prime Minister, than his official
position. If indeed the conversation between the two related to Prime
Minister's trip to India, once again, it shows the Government is unwilling or
unable to utilise official and formal channels of communication.
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COAS Joins Meeting on Karachi Law and Order
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The Chief of Army Staff
(COAS) joined the Prime Minister in a meeting on Karachi Law and Order
situation on May 14, 2014.
Under ordinary
circumstances, it is not the job of the Military to be part of internal
security conversations. It is also not the first time that such a scenario
has emerged in Pakistan in which the Military has been asked to join the
conversation on internal security. However, as we progress on the road to
democracy, and evaluate performance of elected Governments on providing good
governance to the people, it is not the Military which should be continually
asked to be part of internal security management.
While in specific
scenarios, it can and should be asked, but without planning and arrangements
in place to strengthen the internal security apparatus, i.e., Police and
other civil LEAs, the engagement of military in internal security
arrangements only points to our worsening capability for internal security.
It is also worth
remembering the scenario in not so distant past when General AshfaqPervaizKayani,
the then-COAS, had held an independent meeting with Karachi businesspersons
and then directed the D.G. Rangers to meet the demands of the business
community.7
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Meeting of Prime Minister and COAS
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In May 2014, the Chief of
Army Staff General Raheel Sharif met with Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz
Sharif 4 times.
In the first meeting on
May 08, 2014, the Army Chief briefed the Prime Minister about the security
situation in Karachi, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
In the second meeting
during the month, on May 14, 2014 Karachi law & Order was discussed.
The third meeting was
held on May 20, 2014 to review security issues. The meeting was attended by
Minister for Interior,ChaudhryNisar Ali Khan, MNA, Advisor to PM on Foreign
Affairs and National Security Mr.Sartaj Aziz, DG ISI Lt. General Muhammad
Zaheer-ul-Islam, Chief of General Staff, Lt. General AshfaqNadeem, DG MO Maj.
General Amir Riaz.
The fourth meeting was
held on May 30, 2014 to review the internal security. The meeting was
attended by the Federal Interior Minister ChaudhryNisar Ali Khan, DG ISI
Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam and other higher officials. The meeting was
held to review the security situation of FATA and Balochistan.8
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Defence Budget Debate by Senate Standing
Committee on Defence
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A public forum on Defence Budget was held by the Senate Standing
Committee on Defence on May 19, 2014. Additional Secretary of the Ministry of
Defence briefed the Committee, as well as the Defence Reporters Forum of the
news media on details of Pakistan's Defence Budget. A media manual was also
prepared and distributed by the Senate Standing Committee on Defence.
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References:
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