With Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa telling those who attended lunch at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington that he would step down after completion of his second three-year term and that Rawalpindi has distanced itself from politics, two already well-established facts have further been endorsed. One, as regards granting extension to the army chief it’s not the Prime Minister of Pakistan but the army chief himself who decides the length of his own tenure. Two, the Pakistan army has been an active [and unquestionably the most influential] player in the country’s politics.    

No wonder the word ‘establishment’ in Pakistan is both an accepted and popular synonym for the armed forces, as they are the ones who actually call the shots in the country.Also, the Director General [DG] of Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar declaring that Pakistan army would remain “neutral” during the crisis that led to a no confidence motion being moved against Imran Khan’s government, he has unwittingly admitted that Rawalpindi is indeed very much into influencing Pakistani politics.

Even the international community recognises Pakistan military’s dominance over all other organs of state and that’s why when its army chief goes abroad, he’s treated more like a head of state than a military official. Readers may recall that when the then Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Washington in 2019, the customary state protocol of US officials receiving a visiting Prime Minister wasn’t observed and a miffed Khan had to be content being received by his own foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Pak envoy to the US.

On the other hand, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was not only received by Chairman Joint Chief of Staff General Joseph F. Dunford, but was even presented guard of honour with a 21-gun salute. Similarly, his recent five-day US trip may have come at fag end of his tenure, but it’s most certainly not a farewell visit. Infact, a majority of analysts view it as a part of the ongoing efforts from both sides to reset US-Pak ties. Furthermore, with Pakistan army’s Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Azhar Abbas [who is likely to be the next army chief] in tow, speculation is rife that Gen Bajwa is attempting to reassure Washington of Rawalpindi’s continuing cooperation, notwithstanding anti-US sentiments being fanned at home by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his ilk.

Gen Bajwa may wax eloquent on the army’s duty to “respect the democratic institutions.” However, he’s in no mood to give any space to those exercising their fundamental democratic right of expression, especially when it exposes Rawalpindi’s continuing interference in the functioning of other state institutions. So, when Senator Azam Khan Swati tweeted “Mr Bajwa congratulations to you and few with you. Your plan is really working and all criminals are getting free at cost of this country”, and added that “with these thugs getting free you have legitimised corruption”, the former state minister should have known that he was treading on thin ice.

Expectedly, the Pakistani ‘establishment’ wasted no time to hit back. Swati was promptly arrested by Federal Investigation Agency [FIA], which lodged a menacingly worded First Information Report [FIR] claiming that the PTI Senator’s tweet was “a calculated attempt to create hatred in the minds of people and Army Personnel/s against COAS and Pakistan Army and also created distrust towards the Judicial System.” Terming it an “intimidating tweet”, the FIA went on to allege that Swati “has attempted to provoke the general public and personnel/s of armed forces by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the State.”

It’s inconceivable that a mere allegation can “create hatred in the minds of people and army personnel against COAS and Pakistan Army”, and “distrust towards the judicial system” as well as “provoke the general public and personnel of armed forces by trying to create a feeling of ill-will among pillars of the State”. On the other hand, Swati’s claim that he was arrested not for breaking the law or violating the constitution, but “for taking the name of Gen Bajwa” and of being “unclothed and physically tortured by agencies” while in custody is more compelling as it certainly gives one a sense of déjà vu.

While the FIA may find Swati’s tweet subversive, let’s not forget that this is not for the first time that allegations of Pakistan army arm-twisting the judiciary and other pillars of democracy have surfaced. During a talk show on Dunya News in 2016, former army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf himself admitted that “Once he [the then army chief Gen Raheel Sharif] got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment.” Doesn’t this revelation clearly indicate that the military in Pakistan has the ability to impose its will on the government and change judgments of the judiciary?

In 2018, while addressing Rawalpindi Bar Association, sitting Islamabad High Court judge Justice Shaukat Siddiqui made some scathing remarks against the army. He admitted that “Today the judiciary [in Pakistan] and media have come in the control of ‘Bandookwala’ [gunmen; here a euphemism for the army]. Judiciary is not independent. Even the media is getting directions from the military. The media is not speaking the truth because it is under pressure and has its interests”. Not only this, he went on to reveal that “In different cases, the ISI forms benches of its choice to get desired results”. 

On comparative analysis, Swati’s tweet pales in front of Gen Musharraf and Justice Siddiqui’s incriminating remarks about Pakistan army’s effective muzzling of the media and interference with the functioning of judiciary. Surprisingly, while Swati was arrested, Justice Siddiqui was merely dismissed by the President of Pakistan for “misconduct”. As for Gen Musharraf, no cognisance was ever taken for his remark of how intervention of the then army chief enabled him to leave the country despite a court order to the contrary.

So, despite the fact that it brazenly acknowledges that Rawalpindi enjoys extra constitutional powers and is a law unto itself, Gen Musharraf hasn’t been touched because being an erstwhile member of the military fraternity, he remains part and parcel of the Pakistani ‘establishment’ and hence enjoys absolute immunity!

Swati should have realised that he’s no Musharraf and hence must face the consequences for casting aspersions against the emperor sitting in Rawalpindi, which being nothing short of sacrilege merits exemplary punishment for ‘traitors’ like him that begins with the customary practice of being “unclothed and physically tortured by agencies”!

Sindhi leaders in a joint statement demanded that the United Nations conduct DNA testing on the more than 500 human corpses found at the Nishtar Hospital Multan in order to conclusively identify the victims and hand over the bodies to their respective families. Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) central chairman Sohail Abro, vice chairman Zubair Sindhi, general secretary Ghulam Hussain Shabrani, Amar Azadi, Sudhu Sindhi, Hafeez Deshi and Parh Sindhu in their joint press statement said that they suspect these bodies are of the thousands of political activists who were forcibly abducted from Sindh and Balochistan.

Pakistan’s 70-year history has been witness to continuous human rights abuses and extrajudicial killing of political activists by Pakistan’s rougue intelligence agencies ISI, Military Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan under direct orders from the Pakistan Army.

Sindhi leaders further stated that the recently found dead bodies prove that Pakistan is not an Islamic Republic country, but a graveyard of human beings, where the state institutions massacre humanity instead of protecting the people. “..from 1971 till date the military operation in Sindh and Balochistan is a proof of this,” said the statement.

“We appeal to the United Nations to take notice against the forced disappearances of political activists of Sindh and Balochistan, and to conduct DNA tests on the recently found bodies. Subsequently a case should be registered against the terrorist state of Pakistan in the international court of justice for war crimes and human rights abuses.”

“We appeal to the European union, Indian government and all permanent members of UNSC (UN Security Council) that an enquiry should be conducted in the international court of justice for the violation of human rights, the massacre of humanity, and the violation of international norms,” reads the joint statement of Sindhi leaders.

That Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s recent announcement that “resurgence of terrorism will not be tolerated in the country”, would not enthuse the terrorism scarred and violence weary people of Pakistan was expected. However, this is not because of public apathy or cynicism but due to Rawalpindi’s own fault, in that, it has consistently been deceiving its own people by making false claims to conceal its own professional failings.

Though Islamabad has always blamed India for anything and everything going wrong in the country, the Pakistan army generally refrained from making direct accusations against New Delhi or its spy agency Research and Analysis Wing [RAW]. However, this wasn’t because armies consider levelling baseless allegations unsoldierly, but since doing so would be tantamount to accepting that its arch-enemy had got the better of Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI].

Things however changed in 2015 when during his visit to Quetta the then Pakistan army chief Gen Raheel Sharif had [without taking any names], had warned “foreign governments and intelligence agencies” not to fuel insurgency in Balochis­tan. Just a month later, the statement issued on conclusion of the Corps Commanders’ Conference by Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] mentioned that “The Conference also took serious notice of RAW’s involvement in whipping up terrorism in Pakistan.”

This statement came as a big surprise. In his report on this development, Dawn Foreign Affairs/National Security Correspondent Baqir Sajjad Syed mentioned that “RAW has quite often been blamed by law-enforcement agencies for being involved in subversive activities in Pakistan, but it’s unusual for a corps commanders’ conference to directly point fingers at the hostile intelligence outfit.” [Emphasis added]. Whereas New Delhi rightly ignored Gen Sharif’s incredulous accusation, Pakistan army however found a handy whipping boy in RAW, and it has never looked back since.

Readers would recall that before Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, ISPR kept claiming that RAW and its Afghan counterpart National Directorate of Security [NDS] were jointly sponsoring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorist group as well as various freedom fighter outfits in Balochistan. However, while the international community wasn’t impressed by ISPR’s incredulous claim, many Pakistanis actually believed that TTP and Baloch freedom fighters were Indian proxies, and this is exactly what Rawalpindi wanted.

So, once Taliban overran Kabul, people in Pakistan expected that with New Delhi out of the scene, both TTP and Balochi freedom fighter groups would simply wither away due to lack of sustenance and safe sanctuaries. However, Taliban’s takeover of Kabul marked an unprecedented spike in TTP attacks against Pakistani security forces. This unexpected turn of events demolished two myths propagated by Pakistan army; one, that without help from India, TTP was a mere pushover, and two, Pakistan army was capable of decimating this terrorist outfit.

This became all the more evident when instead of fighting TTP, the Pakistan army unconditionally accepted the ceasefire declared by TTP and agreed to negotiate with this terrorist group, despite the fact that it had perpetrated the 2014 Army School Peshawar massacre in which nearly 150 persons [mostly school children] lost their lives. Rawalpindi even accepted TTP’s unreasonable precondition of releasing TTP terrorists jailed for their complicity in killing Pakistani security forces personnel and civilians. So, how can one expect the people of Pakistan to take Gen Bajwa’s words of not tolerating “resurgence of terrorism”?

Some may argue that the decision to enter into a ceasefire with TTP, release its convicted fighters and negotiate peace with this terrorist group would have taken by the legislature and so pillorying the army for the same is unfair. While this argument may appear convincing, readers may recall that while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly in June, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui admitted that lawmakers were unaware when the negotiations [with TTP] began, and between whom they were taking place. This proves beyond any doubt that the Pakistan army is the sole architect and executor of this ignoble deal!

Pakistan army maintains that it has broken the backbone of terrorism, but ground situation doesn’t support this view. Massive ongoing public protests by locals against TTP’s re-emergence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to rock the province making light of Gen Bajwa’s remark that “resurgence of terrorism will not be tolerated in the country.” Just the other day, Mingora, Haripur and Battagram districts of KP witnessed massive anti TTP protests. Sparked by the killing of a school bus van driver in Swat valley, protesters were demanding action to evict TTP terrorists from KP, and the angst of the local leaders was palpable.

While addressing protesters, Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan lamented that “… despite a massive defence budget, the state has completely failed to ensure peace here.” Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement chief Manzoor Pashteen was more forthright and said it was ironic that despite the presence of security forces and cantonments, TTP had still managed to enter Swat and the vicious cycle of targeted killings and fake encounters had resumed.

National Democratic Movement chairman and National Assembly member Mohsin Dawar told Al Jazeera that “If Pakistan’s political and military leadership does not sit together to resolve this menace, I fear that in the coming days the situation will be out of control.” He hit the nail on the head by saying, “It is questionable that in the blink of an eye the situation turned chaotic, the Taliban [TTP] returned and started sabotaging peace”!

Of course, the TTP didn’t resurface in KP overnight. Way back in August, people in KP started complaining about targeted killing and intimidation of locals by TTP cadres and being a serious security related issue with national ramifications, this problem was highlighted up by the media. During the same month, TTP released a video with visuals of a Pakistan army officer and a Deputy Superintendent of Police apprehended by this terrorist group in KP province. Abduction of an army officer and police official leaves no doubt that TTP is freely operating in KP with unbridled impunity.

Yet, rather than taking the bull by the horns and using force to evict TTP terrorists from KP, Pakistan army chose to play down TTP presence in this region.  Infact, ISPR rejected these reports terming them “grossly exaggerated and misleading”. However, to play-safe and avoid embarrassment, ISPR cunningly conceded that “Presence of a small number of armed men on a few mountain tops between Swat and Dir has been observed, located far away from population.”

While presence of TTP terrorists on mountain tops “far away from population” may not perturb Pakistan army, the terrorised people of KP are up in arms and have taken to the streets to protest against the large-scale presence of TTP terrorists in the region. However, since Pakistan army hasn’t taken any concerted action against TTP in this area as yet, it appears that Gen Bajwa doesn’t perceive the burgeoning congregation of TTP terrorists in KP as “resurgence of terrorism”.

Baloch freedom fighters establish a checkpost on a busy road in Balochistan and abduct a serving Lt Col. Then they accost two Frontier Corps Personnel and shoot down an army helicopter sent to retrieve them. TTP terrorists blockade the arterial road connecting KP with Gilgit-Baltistan and take a senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI] Party minister and two foreign tourists accompanying him hostage. Don’t these incidents clearly indicate the “resurgence of terrorism” in Pakistan?

After the murder of the school bus driver by TTP terrorists in Swat, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan [HRCP] has rightly lashed out at the army, observing that “Swat’s residents are right to hold the security forces responsible for failing to enforce the writ of the state.” Furthermore, in an obvious reference to aforesaid ISPR claim that reports regarding the large-scale presence of TTP in KP were exaggerated, HRCP has rightly noted that “It was callous and short-sighted to have downplayed the threat from militants given residents’ growing protests and calls for security.”

The ball is thus fairly and squarely in Rawalpindi’s court. Whether the Pakistan army will walk its talk by using force to bring TTP down on its knees, or merely engage in rhetoric and blame all and sundry for this sorry state of affairs, however remains a million-dollar question!