Nawaz Sharif battling alone (English Version) Amar Ujala 31 May 18
Nawaz Sharif is possibly the only Prime Minister of Pakistan who views relations with neighbouring countries from a different prism. He had always believed that the only way forward for Pak’s economic development was to enhance ties with its neighbours and stop support to terror groups. For him, economic development and talks was better than a national policy of ‘supporting state terrorism’. He was willing to challenge the counter thought process of the deep state on this subject.
However, for the deep state he crossed their red line and thus had to go. The army knew that days of coups are over. The world would never permit it, sanctions would come hard and fast and even China may not be able to come to its rescue. This is where an added element to the deep state waded in, the Pak supreme court.
Presently, Nawaz fights multitude of cases and in every forum, those nominated to prosecute him are those who are his sworn enemies. Therefore, his political career is at an end, unless the polity in Pak wakes up to the fact that it needs to pull away the powers which the supreme court has grabbed on its own initiative. There are announcements that the court is stepping on the toes of the legislative, but no concrete action is being taken.
The infamous ‘Dawn Leaks’ of Oct 2016, where the deep state was informed of increasing international pressure mounting on the nation demanding for more action against militant groups by Nawaz, stirred a hornet’s nest within senior military ranks and they threatened the government. The words in the Dawn were, ‘The civilian government informed the military leadership of growing international isolation of Pak and sought consensus on several key actions by the state.’
The leaks led to an internal inquiry leading to the resignation of the information minister, Pervaiz Rasheed. In addition, was a series of meetings between the then army chief, Raheel Sharif, and the PM. Delegations of the ruling party met and pacified the army chief that they were not responsible. The future of the government was at stake. The issue finally died down and Nawaz breathed a sigh of relief.
The present army chief, General Bajwa, took no chances and at the first opportunity had the supreme court remove Nawaz Sharif from power, despite Nawaz appointing him. The reasons for his removal and banning him for life were announced even before a judgement has been delivered and he was found guilty. All because he was keen to re-kickstart dialogue with India and pull back the deep state’s support to terror groups.
Musharraf, the army chief during Kargil, the only individual in international history, to convert defeat into victory, losing Kargil and becoming a victorious dictator and subsequently president of the country and now a fugitive on treason charges, joined the bandwagon of critics. He blamed Nawaz for the withdrawal in Kargil, ignoring world knowledge that Pak army chiefs have never listened to their Prime Minister’s. Such is the tradition in Pak that Nawaz’s convoy, taking him for his swearing in ceremony in 2013 as Prime Minister for the third time, was stopped to let the army chief’s convoy pass. Clearly, it is evident, who calls the shots in the country.
His present comments, again in an interview to the Dawn, on Pak based and supported terror groups have once again shaken the deep state. Nawaz admitted that the Mumbai attackers had been launched from Pak and questioned why the deep state was not permitting the trial of the main accused, Hafiz Saeed, to conclude.
His words, which irked the deep state were, ‘Militant organizations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Why can’t we complete the trial?’ He accused the deep state directly when he stated that Pak’s security and foreign policies ‘have isolated ourselves’. He added, Afghanistan’s narrative is being accepted, ours is not.
The army responded by asking the Prime Minister to call a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) to counter the comments made by Nawaz Sharif. Post the meeting, everyone in Pak jumped to counter Nawaz, most claiming he was incorrect in his comments. Even the Prime Minister stated that he had been misquoted in the media. His own brother and now head of the party stated that Nawaz would issue a denial and misquote.
Nawaz however stuck to his guns, claiming he was disappointed by the NSC comments. The fact that he spoke the truth and was sticking to it caused such panic that the government blocked further publication of the newspaper. It was the same paper which faced the brunt after the ‘Dawn leaks’.
In India and the west, the press had a field day. The quotes from Nawaz were interpreted as an admission of guilt from the former head of state. It proved beyond doubt that Pak is a state sponsor of terror. There were fears within Pak that India could approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the issue. Thus, to divert the issue, Pak blamed India for the Mumbai attacks and for delay in concluding the trial of the same.
In Pak, it is presently Nawaz who fights alone. The control of the deep state on the polity is such that none dare challenge their might. Nawaz had realized that enmity and adopting terrorism as a state policy would damage Pak, its internal fabric and international standing. He was willing to take the first step forward to resolve issues, but the deep state would have none of it.
In this scenario, it is evident that Nawaz would soon be convicted and moved behind bars. The Saudi government would move in, broker peace and whisk him away to safety. The main loser would be the country. His aim was to open eyes of the nation and those who have blindly followed the deep state, that Pak is moving down a dangerous path of self-destruction. If the common Pakistani understands, pressure would mount on the deep state, if he remains cowed down, Pak would move faster down the path of self-destruction. However, no matter how much he is cornered, Nawaz would never go down without a fight and the fight would dent the image of the deep state.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army