PPP trying to ally with generals against media, judiciary
By: Hamid Mir
ISLAMABAD: A recent statement of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has provided an opportunity to the Zardari-led PPP government to make an alliance with the army generals against the media and judiciary.
Just 10 months ago, the PPP leaders used to say that the Supreme Court was trying to destabilise democracy in collaboration with the army generals because the apex court had established a commission for the inquiry of the Memogate scandal. After 10 months, the same PPP leaders are supporting the statement of General Kayani against the judiciary and media.
The PPP leaders cannot deny the fact that it was their own prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, who gave an interview to the Chinese newspaper People’s Daily on January 9, 2012 in which he termed the written statements of the COAS and DG ISI submitted to the Supreme Court in the Memogate case as unconstitutional and illegal. The ISPR issued a strong-worded response on January 11 and said: “There can be no allegation more serious than what the honourable prime minister has levelled against the COAS and DG ISI and has unfortunately charged the officers for the violation of the Constitution. This has very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country.”
Time proved that the judiciary never hatched any conspiracy against democracy in collaboration with the army generals. In fact, the Supreme Court judges summoned serving generals to the courts during the hearings of missing persons’ cases for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The Supreme Court also gave a historical verdict in the Asghar Khan case. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the political activities of a former COAS and DG ISI were declared unlawful.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira initially announced that the government would take action against the former COAS Aslam Beg and former DG ISI Asad Durrani but after a few days, the PPP changed its stance. Defence Minister Naveed Qamar also criticised the judiciary in the context of the army chief’s statement with a meaningful smile on his face.
According to reliable sources, the PPP leadership has given an assurance to concerned quarters that no action will be taken against Aslam Beg and Asad Durrani. Some PPP ministers are also claiming that General Kayani issued his statement after consulting some top government functionaries. Now the PPP is endorsing the statement of General Kayani. Majority of defence and political analysts agreed that the army chief gave a strong message to both the judiciary and the media because more than nine retired generals were under severe criticism in the media. Some sources in the capital are claiming that powerful people want to get rid of some judges and media people before the coming election and they have planned a campaign against some judges and media persons, which will be launched soon.
Sudden support of some PPP leaders for the army chief created many questions in the political as well as diplomatic circles. The PPP leaders were criticising the judiciary in open words after the statement of General Kayani. When some analysts pointed out an unannounced alliance between the PPP and army generals against the judiciary, some army officers close to the COAS leaked stories to their friends in the media that General Kayani actually gave a message to the media, not the judiciary. Now the question is why the army leadership never acted through Pemra or the Pakistan Press Council against the media? If the COAS and DG ISI can go to the Supreme Court against the government in the Memogate scandal, why can’t they file a petition against some particular media persons in the courts? Why the army chief issued a statement which was declared “political” by some senators the other day?
According to reliable sources, some judges were recently approached for not giving a tough time to the army officers in the courts but the judges never obliged anyone. A senior army officer recently told this scribe that he tried to explain the situation in Balochistan to the chief justice in his chamber. The chief justice gave him a very sympathetic hearing but he never showed any flexibility inside the court. Another judge of the Peshawar High Court also faced a lot of pressure from the Khakis over the issue of missing persons but he refused to act beyond the law. Now the army sources are claiming that General Kayani never gave a message to the judiciary but to the media. If it is true, then the media is justified in raising the question why General Kayani chose a time for a warning to the media when the Taliban had also issued threats to different media houses and TV anchors for supporting Malala Yousafzai?
Some army sources complained that the judiciary and media ignored the sacrifices of armed forces. In fact, the sacrifices of our brave soldiers have nothing to do with the corruption charges against some retired generals. The judiciary and media have always acknowledged the sacrifices of the armed forces. The Pakistani media stood behind its soldiers after the Salala attack in November 2011. The Supreme Court included a para about the sacrifices of its armed forces in its short order of the Asghar Khan case. This para says, “The armed forces always sacrificed their lives for the country to defend any internal or external aggression for which it being an institution is deeply respected by the nation.”
Unfortunately, some PPP ministers are now trying to use the statement of the COAS against the judiciary and media. They are not realising that the media only reported some events, not created any event. They are not realising that times have changed very fast. There was a time in 1988 when COAS General Aslam Beg sent a message to Chief Justice Afzal Zullah not to restore the government of Muhammad Khan Junejo.
The then chief justice obliged the army chief. Now the time has changed. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry declared the political activities of Aslam Beg as unlawful in the Asghar Khan case. The chief justice in 2012 is not ready to listen to any powerful personality because he believes in the supremacy of the Constitution. He even ordered an inquiry against his own son. This is the only way forward for Pakistan. The rule of law is the ultimate solution to our problems and no conspiracy against the judiciary and media will succeed.
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