{"id":32837,"date":"2017-11-28T14:05:06","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T08:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/?p=32837"},"modified":"2017-11-28T14:06:27","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T08:36:27","slug":"the-army-is-once-again-playing-with-fire-in-pakistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/india-news\/the-army-is-once-again-playing-with-fire-in-pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Army is once again playing with fire in Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Army\u2019s role in first defying government orders to restore normalcy and then brokering peace with the protestors is a disturbing development in Pakistan<\/em><\/p>\n

~By Seema Guha<\/strong><\/p>\n

A little known Islamic group, Tehreek-e-LibaikYa Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYR) had virtually brought the government of Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi <\/a>to its knees. By bowing to their demand for the sacking of the federal justice minister Zahid Hamid, the government finally succeeded in getting protesters out of the streets.<\/p>\n

The angry mobs had virtually paralysed the authorities and brought life in the cities and towns of Pakistan to a halt.<\/p>\n

The Abbasi administration had got some breathing space for the moment, but the take away from the crisis is a damning indictment of the current situation in Pakistan, where a hand full determined fanatics can plunge the nation into a monumental crisis.<\/p>\n

It is a well known fact that the Army calls the shots in Pakistan, mainly on foreign affairs and particularly on relations with India, US and Afghanistan. It usually plays a more subtle role in internal politics, but this time round the gloves were off.<\/p>\n

Army chief Qamar Jawed Bajwa openly flouted government orders and instead of putting its forces on the ground to clear the streets off protesters, as ordered by the executive, the Army played peace maker. The Army chief met Prime Minister Abbasi and lectured the government to handle the agitation peacefully. The Army then got into action and got the government and the Islamic group to negotiate.<\/p>\n

In the end the protesters had their way and Zahid Ahmed had to step down.<\/p>\n

The negotiations are said to have continued all\u00a0Sunday<\/span>\u00a0night and into the wee hours of\u00a0Monday<\/span>\u00a0morning. The government was represented by Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal. It is only in the fitness of things, that when the leader of the Tehreek-e-Libaik announced lifting the sit-in protests, he thanked the Army chief for diffusing the crisis.<\/p>\n

What is more, in the agreement that was signed by Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the chief of\u00a0\u00a0Tehreek-e-Libaik, the Interior Secretary Arshad Mirza, and Major General, Faiz Hameed who facilitated the negotiations , there is reference to the Army chief. \u201cWe are thankful to him (General Bajwa) for saving the nation from a big catastrophe,\u201d the document said. The Army chief and General Hamid are both guarantors to the agreement.<\/p>\n

The Army\u2019s support of the fundamentalist group is not surprising considering these outfits have often been used by the military ever since military dictator General Zia ul-Haq decided it was in his best interests to play the religious card.<\/p>\n

The Islamasition of the Pakistan army began during General Zia\u2019s time. Since then, whenever it suited the generals, they played footsie with religious leaders.<\/p>\n

Yet ever since the brutal slaughter of school children in an army school in Peshawar, the Army had cracked down on the Pakistani Taliban and other extremist groups. Yet at a time, when the PML (N) is at its weakest, with Nawaz Sharif debarred from politics and facing trial for corruption and a weak man in the country\u2019s top executive office, the Army\u2019s support for the Tehreek-e-Libaik is somewhat surprising.<\/p>\n