A welcome first

In a welcome first, CoAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa briefed the Senate Committee of the Whole on a wide-range of issues beyond the original intended thrust of national security. First and foremost, General Bajwa categorically denied that the army was destabilising the civilian government. He refuted recent conjectures regarding the army's support to the Faizabad sit-in, defended the army's brokering a deal to end the protest, while admitting an army officer should not have signed the agreement but argued there would have been no resolution without it. He made the startling disclosure that the distribution of Rs 1,000 each to the dispersing protestors by the DG Rangers, Punjab was done on the orders of the prime minister. He categorically stated that he firmly believed in democracy and the supremacy of the Constitution. The army, he went on, had no desire to play any extra-constitutional role. Parliament is supreme, he iterated, but called upon the politicians not to provide space or opportunity to the army for interference in the political sphere. Perhaps in the light of our history he could have added that despite such opportunity, the army would resist the temptation to act as the ultimate arbiter or authority. He admitted there had been 'mistakes' in the past but said he should not be held responsible for others' actions. In a significant turnaround, the CoAS advised parliament to take the lead in framing foreign and security policies and the army would implement them. This is a proposition still to be tested in practice since it has been the army that has been foremost in framing such policies over the years. If the CoAS is confident that the institution he heads would follow his prescription, nothing could be healthier for parliament, politics and the state of the country's affairs. General Bajwa supported normalisation of relations with all Pakistan's neighbours, including India, and that the army would support any such moves. On relations with Iran and the Saudi-led military alliance, the General supported good relations with the former while admitting Pakistan's efforts to prevent the latter from colouring the alliance in sectarian hues had not met with success in Riyadh. On the contentious issue of missing persons, General Bajwa castigated some who pretended to be missing while actually hiding underground but failed to say anything about the rest who must by his logic be considered genuine cases. Numbers here are not the issue. Even one person disappeared against the laws and constitution is one too many. The General owed a more honest account of what is going on in the country in this respect. On Hafiz Saeed and his recently launched political party, Milli Muslim League, the CoAS denied supporting it, in contradiction of rumours doing the rounds that the army desired to 'mainstream' such extremist outfits. Last but not least, General Bajwa distanced himself and his institution from the views expressed by retired Generals, including the advocacy of late of a presidential system, which the CoAS said would weaken the federation.
The reaction of most Senators to the CoAS's briefing appeared positive since he had come through as very forthcoming and candid despite some 'tough and tricky' questions. However, they differed over whether the CoAS's appearance in the Senate had helped narrow the civil-military divide or both sides' mutual trust deficit. No doubt the CoAS made all the right noises, fending off in the process the slate of accusations gathering force that the army was behind some grand design to upset the applecart of the democratic dispensation. Although taking at face value overoptimistic conclusions that the CoAS's appearance had established the supremacy of parliament may be premature, it would be churlish not to appreciate the openness of the interaction, reservations concerning some claims and assertions by the General notwithstanding. The days ahead may provide confirmation or refutation of some of these assertions. One hopes events henceforth follow the script laid down by the army chief.