This is apropos a Business Recorder editorial titled ‘New army chief’s worldview’ carried by the newspaper recently. The newspaper, in my view, seems to have alluded to a critical aspect that has been unfortunately embraced by majority the majority of media — print, broadcast and social — by stating that “the army’s job”, he [Gen Asim Munir] said, ‘is to share the input with the federal government and follow its order instead of dictating it’.

If that is so then why General Bajwa asked the Chaudhrys to join hands with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership during the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan, questioned a participant at the workshop.” Asking PML-Q (Pakistan Muslim Leaque-Quaid) of the Chaudhrys to take sides with a struggling PTI is a mere claim of the incumbent chief minister of Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a claim that he has made only after the retirement of then army chief Gen Bajwa, not during the latter’s tenure.

More importantly, his claim does not necessarily offends Imran Khan at this point in time mainly because of the fact that the latter’s entire anti-government strategy hinges on ensuring that the Punjab chief minister stays in good humor at least until he announces the dissolution of Punjab assembly and this Chaudhry of Gujrat responds to his decision positively and obligingly.

We must not lose sight of the fact it was the same Chaudhry of Gujrat, who was the then chief minister of Punjab and had vowed to help elect Gen Musharraf as President in uniform as many as ten times. In my view, therefore, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is a true disciple of Niccolo Machiavelli, so to speak.

The Chaudhry of Gujrat, unlike his cousin or brother Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, is widely known for placing political expediency above morality. He is also known for his dexterity in the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority (sattaa in Hindi).

Tehsin Khan Janjua (Rawalpindi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022