The Pakistan military, which orchestrated a “soft coup” to oust former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has retained the “dominant influence” over foreign and security policies of the present dispensation of cricketer turned politician, Imran Khan, says a US congressional report.
The report, titled ‘Pakistan Domestic Political Setting’ by the US Congressional Research Service, (CRS), notes that the military, which was engaged in three “outright seizures” of power from civilian-led governments, had colluded with the country’s judiciary to overthrow the Pakistan Muslim League government led by Sharif.
This purported “military-judiciary nexus” allegedly came to favour Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. “Many analysts contend that Pakistan’s security services covertly manipulated the country’s domestic politics before and during the election with a central motive of (again) removing Nawaz Sharif from power and otherwise weakening his incumbent party,” it says adding that most analysts see Pakistan’s military establishment continuing to “retain dominant influence over foreign and security policies”.
The report contends that the participation of small parties linked to banned terrorist groups has embolden terrorists in the country. “Election observers and human rights groups issued statements pointing to sometimes ‘severe’ abuses of democratic norms, and the unprecedented participation of small parties with links to banned Islamist terrorist groups were seen to embolden militants (Islamist parties won a combined 10 per cent of the national vote in 2018)”.
EXCERPTS
Historically, constitutionalism and parliamentary democracy have fared poorly in Pakistan, marked by tripartite power struggles among presidents, prime ministers, and army chiefs. The country has endured direct military rule for nearly half of its 71 years of independence—most recently from 1999 to 2008—interspersed with periods of generally weak civilian governance.
Of Pakistan’s three most prominent prime ministers, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed; his daughter Benazir Bhutto was exiled and later assassinated; and three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has never completed a term.
A purported “military-judiciary nexus” allegedly came to favour Khan’s PTI. Election observers and human rights groups issued statements pointing to sometimes “severe” abuses of democratic norms, and the unprecedented participation of small parties with links to banned Islamist terrorist groups was seen to embolden militants (Islamist parties won a combined 10% of the national vote in 2018).
Khan/PTI Era, 2018-Present
Prime Minister Khan had no governance experience prior to winning his current office. His “Naya [New] Pakistan” vision—which appeared to animate many younger, urban, middle-class voters—emphasizes anti-corruption and creation of a “welfare state” that provides better education and health care, but the latter effort has foundered due to the country’s acute financial crisis, and a need for new foreign borrowing and government austerity.
Most analysts’ see Pakistan’s military establishment continuing to retain dominant influence over foreign and security policies.
Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa began his three-year appointment in November 2016; in August 2019, this was extended by PM Khan for another three years. He is widely described as being professional and non-political. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt. General Faiz Hamid, previously the ISI’s internal security chief, received his third star in April 2019 and began his three-year appointment in June.