Pakistan: The Latest Military Reshuffle

25 Sep, 2000    ·   416

Dr. Subhash Kapila says Pakistan under Gen Musharraf will recess deeper into Islamic fundamentalism than any other Pak military ruler
Dr. Subhash Kapila
Pakistan 's latest military reshuffle has been made much of in some Indian media reports. These reports basically focus on the moving out of Lt. Gen. Aziz Khan from the appointment of Chief of General Staff at Pak Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi to Corps Commander of the Lahore Corps.

 

 

It would be recalled that Lt. Gen. Aziz Khan engineered the coup in October 1999, which brought Gen Pervez Musharraf into power. Press analyses also indicate that this was done to placate Western fears of a die-hard Islamic fundamentalist General in a military operations directional role at Pak Army Headquarters. Also that such a step would make it to easy for World Bank and IMF to reschedule Pakistan 's external debts and provide financial aid to an economically collapsing Pakistan .

 

 

Such analyses are missing out some basic points which are determining the state of affairs in Pakistan .

 

 

The following factors need to be considered in this context.

 

 

o                    Military reshuffle was not determined by Gen Musharraf's visit to New York for the UN session.

 

 

o                    Military reshuffle was determined by the retirement of two Lt Gens and some vacant slots.

 

 

o                    That the announcement was made a few days before Musharraf's New York visit may have been intended to draw incidental mileage.

 

 

o                    It would be naïve to accept that Gen. Musharraf has become so strong in Pakistan affairs that he could order the move of Lt. Gen. Aziz Khan from the appointment of CGS. Lt. Gen. Aziz Khan is reputed to have more stronger base in Pak Army than Gen. Musharraf.

 

 

o                    Gen Musharraf is dependent for his existence as Pakistan 's military ruler on the support of the small well-knit collegium of Pakistan Army's Corps Commanders (nine Lt. Gens.)

 

 

o                    Gen Musharraf also has to depend heavily on the support of the Islamic fundamentalist parties. Hence their views too count today and especially when it pertains to postings of Islamic fundamentalist generals. 

 

 

o                    Lt Gen Aziz Khan brought Gen Pervez Musharraf to power by engineering the coup while the latter was still out of the country. He obviously did so on account of his standing with and support of the Corps Commanders collegium. Nothing has happened since October 1999 to suggest that Lt Gen Aziz Khan stands devalued in Pak Army military hierachy.

 

 

The following misperceptions also need to be cleared especially of the Indian press media.

 

 

 

 

·                     Gen Pervez Musharraf is not an Islamic moderate, acting as a front for Islamic fundamentalist generals of the Pak Army.

 

 

·                     Gen Musharraf is a die hard Islamic fundamentalist himself and part of the fundamentalist coterie that brought him into power.

 

 

The military reshuffle in Pakistan therefore should not be construed as Gen Musharraf's attempts to ease out Islamic fundamentalist generals and bring moderation in Pak polices. Move out of Lt. Gen Aziz to Lahore still retains him as an active member of Pak Army collegium of Corps Commanders-the decision making body which is predominantly by Islamic fundamentalist generals.

 

 

Pakistan under Gen Musharraf will recess deeper into Islamic fundamentalism than any other Pak military ruler because he is fanatically committed to it unlike his predecessors who used Islamic fundamentalism as a tool of political expediency.

 

 

 

 

 

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