Pakistan Army – the paradigm shift

The Pakistan Army has faced many crises since 1947 because of some of its own dynamics; others were forced or imposed upon it because of international dynamics. We live in a very, very tough neighborhood. The brand image (or brand equity) of the Pak Army has vacillated, time to time. Many admired the armed forces while some others – both domestic or international – had certain misgivings, depending on their agendas, strategies, institutional resistance, etc. Some people seem to forget that the Pakistan Army is Pakistan’s Army. The protection of the country is not the foremost agenda – it’s the only agenda.

I am bypassing the years till 2008. Events till this period are well documented. In 2008, the election year for Pakistan was an epoch making year. At approximately this time two events occurred that have changed the psychological paradigm and the ethos of the Pakistan Army (and the other defence forces). It is worth discussing them here.

The war on terrorism

In 2008, under the then Army Chief, General Kayani, the Pakistan Army made a strategic decision that all terrorist outfits were to be eliminated. Their territory had to be vacated. Their finances blocked. Shoot on sight was the order of the day. The GHQ issued the orders. The operations commenced under various names. Karachi, a city of 20 million people, was handed over to the Rangers. But it must be remembered that success, when it eventually came, did not come easy. The fighting force – the soldier, the NCO, the officer corps faced one major impediment – a mental dilemma, a paradigm confusion. For decades they had been indoctrinated to fight against the non-Muslims on the Eastern border. Their motivation was faith based (remember the Mujahideen and the Russian debacle). It took a lot of mental and psychological engineering to convince the fighting forces that now the terrorists were also a major enemy of the country, irrespective of their (terrorist’s) religious motivations. This change of mental doctrine is a major achievement. Sometimes it takes years or generations to change the mental culture, beliefs and psyche of a fighting force. The Pak Army achieved this – with some hiccups along the way. This is an achievement that Liddell Hart or Sun Tzu would have acknowledged. Today 85% of the terrorism has been eliminated. Pockets remain here and there. Much more could have been achieved in the Punjab, but for the intransigence of the provincial government that disallowed the unfettered operation of the Rangers. On the contrary the civilian government has fallen behind in the rehabilitation of the local refugees. They have not provided the logistics, the money and the political support necessary to rehabilitate the refugees. This is obviously by design to take the shine away from the achievements of the Pak Army. General Raheel Sharif (retd), the Army Chief waged a relentless war against terrorism. It is for this reason that he now heads the Islamic Countries Coalition against terrorism, based in Jeddah. His successor, General Qamar Bajwa was even more relentless. Today, General Bajwa can face General Dunfort, the Joint Chief of the USA, across the well-polished table and tell him, “We have eliminated terrorism in Pakistan. You need to do more. After 15 years and more than One Trillion Dollars, 63% of Afghanistan is under Taliban control.” Pakistan can play a positive role provided all principal actors agree strategically.

Elections and democracy

Since 2008, the Pak Army has stayed in the background – no overt power plays. It has supported various democratic initiatives. In 2008-2013 the government of Pakistan Peoples’ Party went from crisis to crisis – many impinging on national security. Yet the army adopted a policy of Dialogue and Diplomacy, rather than harsher tactics. The second democratic transition in 2013, when Nawaz Sharif assumed power was helped and facilitated by the Army. During the intervening years, 2013-18, the PML-N government of Nawaz Sharif fell prey to its internal malfeasance – insecurity, massive corruption, financial meltdown, faulty foreign policy etc. The Army was watching keenly. So were the 200 million people of Pakistan. The media was doing its bit to expose the bad governance. Some media were on the other side. Eventually on 31 May, the Nawaz Sharif government completed its five-year term.

The new national elections are underway. Each political party is touting its manifesto. The superior judiciary and the Army are staying in the background and playing a logistical role, whenever asked to do so. 25 July, the election date, will decide the winners and losers. Those who lose shall unleash a tirade against invisible forces. Actually 112 million votes will decide.