Challenge for Pakistan army chief, as other generals are more capable than him: Expert

By Ranjit Bhushan

The situation in Pakistan is unprecedented and the all-powerful military there is a divided house, says a top analyst. 

“The challenge for the Pakistan army chief and his biggest problem is that most other Generals are more capable than him,” Ayesha Siddiqa, the best-known expert on the Pakistani army, told this reporter in an exclusive interview. The London-based Siddiqa is a research associate at the SOAS South Asia Institute. 

How does she see the situation panning out in Pakistan in the immediate future? “Well I can imagine that a manhunt will be launched for those who perpetuated the events on May 9 in Pakistan but it does not sound too good for democracy in the country,” Siddiqa said.

That day, military installations were attacked for the first time, the army headquarters were breached, the corps commander’s residence in Lahore was ravaged and military monuments and displays were vandalized, allegedly by Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) mobs. Other acts includ­ed in this day of infamy was the desecration of the martyrs’ me­morial in Sargodha, the arson attack on Jinnah House, the vandalism at FC Fort in Dir and Mardan and the destruction of Kargil war hero Shaheed Colonel Sher Khan’s statue.

Did Siddiqa agree that Imran Khan is a political leader who has the guts to take on the military there and establish civilian ascendancy in the country? According to her, the answer is No. “It was not about Imran Khan challenging army supremacy. If anything, the military, despite the division at the top, has emerged more united after the incidents of May 9, which has evoked huge outcry within the county and outside,” she said.

In her estimation, “Imran missed the big opportunity and has not paid his cards well. Where he and PTI went wrong was the desecration of the martyrs’ memorabilia and the attack on the residence of the Lahore Corps Commander. The Generals, who were otherwise not happy with the Pakistani army chief, Asif Munir, closed ranks.’’

According to Siddiqa, Khan’s failure to turn his protest movement into something more powerful was inevitable. “His notion of directing unhappiness on the streets — exacerbated by the country’s dire economic conditions — into a movement that could pressure the army into bringing him back to power was inherently flawed,’ she said.

“Though the courts came to Imran Khan’s rescue and ordered his release within hours of his arrest on corruption charges a week ago, Khan is unlikely to emerge the victor of this confrontation. Ultimately, despite his close familiarity with the military and the support he previously got from the institution, the populist politician has misjudged its tolerance for defiance,” she explains.   

Siddiqa, a former Pakistani civil servant, has written extensively on the Pakistan military. She was director of naval research with the Pakistan Navy, which made her the first civilian and the first woman to work in that position. After leaving the bureaucracy, she authored Pakistan’s Arms Procurement and Military Buildup, 1979-99: In Search of a Policy, 2001, and later, in 2007, published her vastly critically acclaimed book: Military Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military economy.

Is there any reason why the new Pakistan army chief is not as popular as he ought to be? “Well, he has graduated from the Officer’s Training School (OTS), Mangla, which is considered to be less prestigious than the famed military academy in Kakul. That may have had a part to play,” she says.

In addition, she says, Mujib is regarded as an `angry’ man as well.

Last week, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, condemned the Pakistan army chief over his ‘closed-door angry speech’ to senior officers in Sialkot, which has been shared with him. Earlier, Khalilzad said he was concerned for Pakistan, but now the Army chief’s tirade led him to believe that things are truly dire.

“First, he threatened the wives and children of his critics. The May 9 violence was not a good thing and should be transparently investigated, but that is no excuse for threatening harm to innocent family members of retired officers who may have participated,” he tweeted.

The author is a senior independent journalist.  

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