Pakistan: Is the mullah-military nexus crumbling?

[mota bhai 2,675]

The latest statement from the military blasting chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami Munawar Hasan for undermining the sacrifices made by the soldiers fighting terrorists has shocked many in the capital. The JI traditionally, has been the mouthpiece for the military during the 1980s Afghan jihad and fighting in Kashmir. It’s also established that the army had used the Jamaat’s street power to put democratic governments under pressure through controlled or sometimes out of control protests. It is also believed that there is a huge following of JI in the armed forces. Even the arrests of Al Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, from the residences of JI activists has not affected the military-JI relations in the past.

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But what prompted this strong reaction by the military needs to be examined. Even pragmatic military rulers like Pervez Musharraf had to seek help from the JI to prolong his tenure. Then why is it that the Jamaat and the military are finding themselves at the crossroads today?

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The issue of drone strikes has been the main issue which alienated the powerful establishment from hardcore religious parties. The Jamaat has always been protesting US-backed drone strikes, claiming that the strikes kill civilians. But covertly, the military had a verbal standing with the US over the drone strikes. During 2004-2008, drones struck on Pakistan’s request. This was even testified by Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani who claimed in his new book that the former Taliban chief, Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a drone strike requested by the Pakistan army.

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The killing of Pakistani Taliban Hakeemullah Mehsud in a US drone strike alienated the Jamaat and even other political parties including the PML(N) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf from the response from the people in general which approved the killing of the TTP chief if not the drone strike by the US.

On the other hand, the military which was believed to have been already fuming at the peace overtures by the incumbent government to the Taliban despite the killing of their Major General Sanaullah Niazi, the recent statements of political leaders were not taken well. The JI chief Munawar Hasan stepped up the rhetoric by first declaring Hakeemullah Mehsud a martyr and later questioned whether the soldiers fighting against the Taliban were martyrs. This prompted the military to issue a stinging response not only condemning the JI chief’s statement as misleading and irresponsible but also accused him of insulting the sacrifices of Pakistani soldiers.

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It is too premature to say that the military is signaling the end of its long standing policy of using religious parties to silence logic and vibrant political thought.

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All indications are that the military is in the process of reviewing its support for such parties but only after they came back to haunt the military after decades of clandestine support.

http://dawn.com/news/1055651/is-the-mullah-military-nexus-crumbling