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By Justice Markandey Katju
The job of an army in all countries is to guard the country's borders and to help the civil administration in case of large-scale public disorder.
But the Pakistan army perceives its role differently.
In the article “The Truth about the Pakistan Military” I have given detailed facts to show that the Pakistan army, particularly its senior officers, believe their role is to loot the country.
Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, Research Associate in the South Asia Institute of the School for Oriental and African Studies, University of London, has written a book 'Military Inc' giving details of how Pakistan's military has penetrated into almost all sectors of the Pakistan economy and has looted the country. Almost all its senior officers are corrupt, some retired generals even billionaires.
In all civilised countries, the army is non-political and takes its orders from the civilian government. But in Pakistan, the army is often indulging in politics, and sometimes gives orders to the civilian government, with the subtle threat of staging a coup (which it has often done in the past).
The latest revelation in this connection is former Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement that the then army chief Gen Bajwa advised him to dissolve the Provincial Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
One may well ask: is it the job of the army chief to advise the Prime Minister when an Assembly should be dissolved? Can one imagine this happening in the UK, France, Germany, or India? Is the army chief an army officer or a neta (politician)? It seems he is the latter in Pakistan.
Eminent journalist Hamid Mir has disclosed that Gen Bajwa would often threaten to impose martial law if his advice was not heeded.
In another interview, he disclosed how Gen Bajwa was interfering in politics
Hamid Mir also told journalist Nasim Zehra that Gen Bajwa deliberately portrayed the Pakistan armed forces as weak and poorly supplied, in order to achieve a 'sauda' ( deal ) on Kashmir with Indian PM Modi and win the Nobel Peace Prize, all in ignorance of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Is it the job of an army chief to strike a deal with a foreign country? Surely that is the job of the civilian government.
But evidently, the Pakistan army believes in the dictum of Mao tse tung that 'power grows out of the barrel of a gun', and thinks it can do whatever it likes. It behaves like the American mafia, threatening death or other terrible consequences if its dictate is not obeyed.
(Justice Markandey Katju is an Indian jurist and former Supreme Court judge of India who served as chairman of the Press Council of India. He is the founder and patron of the Indian Reunification Association (IRA), an organisation that advocates for the peaceful reunification of what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh with India under a secular government.)
