Military intervention !! A lesson not learned ?

[Leader]

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It was quite embarrassing to hear the news of a letter written by General R Aslam Baig to current COAS, asking National government via Military intervention...

We want to move forward, enough of this military intervention in our National Political lives. do you duty of defence for which you are heavily paid by this poor Nation... and leave the rest to Nation... let it decide its fate for once..

rather it would have been better if the R General had asked COAS to control and punish the corrupt in Army's ranks and had asked the General to quit WOT and start focusing on rebuilding good relations with the tribes and Pakistani militant outfits who they created and later displeased by taking loads of dollars.....

THE lessons of the past seem to be escaping us once again. A number of prominent voices have called for military involvement in the task of governing the country. Having failed to learn from our unsuccessful experiments with military intervention, these recommendations are even more dangerous for being vaguely defined. A retired army chief has published an article in national newspapers and defended it on television arguing that the armed forces must, while honouring the constitution, help punish the corrupt and ensure that Supreme Court judgments are implemented. What was left unclear was how the military could do so without overstepping its boundaries. In response, a prominent columnist has advocated that the military should limit its role but nevertheless “put its weight behind forces trying desperately for correction of the course”.

Without saying exactly what they mean, recommendations such as these are not only undemocratic in themselves but also leave the door open to full-blown military coups, despite being positioned — like interventions in the past — as attempts to strengthen the political process. This line of reasoning holds that some interference is required to prevent a coup or complete collapse. And while one defence analyst has openly called for an all-out intervention — one that somehow avoids the flaws of past coups — he has suggested a quick return to civilian rule. The undeniable lesson from the past, though, is that neither the extent nor the length of such interventions can be controlled once they begin.

There is no question that the country is in a precarious state. From Karachi to Dir, citizens are vulnerable to various shades of violence. The economy is faltering, power is in short supply and Pakistanis are confronting high unemployment and rising prices. Corruption plagues government dealings and governance is interrupted by frequent personnel changes. Some Supreme Court decisions continue to face resistance from the government. But the past has shown that when they are finally wound up, military interventions leave the country with new governance problems, institutions and policies that lack civilian support, and, most damagingly, a weakened democracy that has to start from scratch the process of using votes to demand, and eventually obtain, improved performance from elected representatives.

What provides some hope is that the army doesn’t seem to be interested in interfering, perhaps because of the distaste for military intervention left behind by the Musharraf years and due to recent security lapses that have forced it onto the back foot. But it is unfortunate that for some the solution to Pakistan’s problems continues to lie in the painful and failed experience of interrupted democracy. DAWN

[Wadera]

I agree with you - military intervention is no answer. Military is best suited in the barracks. What we need is

1. Get rid of corruption - its not easy but its possible if we take the right steps... salaries must be increased and strict punishments for anyone involved in corruption without fear or favor

2. Law & Order has to be improved - this can only happen if we make weapons illegal for everyone except authorities.

3. We must be Muslims by actions not only by words

I can go on and on .. there is much to be done

[Leader]

I agree with you - military intervention is no answer. Military is best suited in the barracks. What we need is

1. Get rid of corruption - its not easy but its possible if we take the right steps... salaries must be increased and strict punishments for anyone involved in corruption without fear or favor

2. Law & Order has to be improved - this can only happen if we make weapons illegal for everyone except authorities.

3. We must be Muslims by actions not only by words

I can go on and on .. there is much to be done

yeah the list also include land reforms...

[nuclearpak]

you go in front of data darbar at 12 o clock at night and see the people there sleeping or rather lying on the road divider and footpaths, and they pay 10 Rs. to the local ' badmash' who is taking money from people to sleep on roads which are supposedly the property of the state and the people. That is what needs to change, the mentality and the corruption which affects the poor

[Wadera]

yeah the list also include land reforms...

Certainly but if only done in a transparent manner. I would also like to include the economic system to be reformed based on islamic finance

[Leader]

you go in front of data darbar at 12 o clock at night and see the people there sleeping or rather lying on the road divider and footpaths, and they pay 10 Rs. to the local ' badmash' who is taking money from people to sleep on roads which are supposedly the property of the state and the people. That is what needs to change, the mentality and the corruption which affects the poor

certainly, that is writ of the government that needs to get down to the lowest level....its human nature to be defiance..law implementation prevents it.

[Leader]

Certainly but if only done in a transparent manner. I would also like to include the economic system to be reformed based on islamic finance

nothing to disagree...

[Icarus]

Heavily paid ? Look up the pay scale and then tell me who is heavily paid. A Full-Colonel earns Rs.45K after over 25 years of service with no work-hours or holidays, without settling down, often staying years at a time away from their families . Even a clerk earns that much after 25 years of service, doing nothing but sorting cash registers.

[Icarus]

And there is no divide between the military and the tribals. Infact the Tribals have been with us, every step of the way. They fought along side us to uproot the Taliban menace from our lands. They more than anybody else know the importance of this war and appreciate the military for it's role in ensuring that the Tribals are able to live life as they want, not as dictated by the terrorists.

[jalalpuri]

we dont want military coup but intervention to make a suitable govt.....

[VCheng]

we dont want military coup but intervention to make a suitable govt.....

So who do you want to intervene and how could they do that under the Constitution?

[forcetrip]

people feel that the supreme court should make that happen. that's constitutional. I think.

[somebozo]

Pakistani military top brass is inevitably corrupt. I can count two dozen serving or ex-millitia men who went from nothing to conglomerates during mush regime.

[forcetrip]

and what stands the number of corrupt mega conglomerates after musharaf? its all a matter of numbers, the amount should not increase 10 fold after the defeat of an evil dictator.

[VCheng]

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people feel that the supreme court should make that happen. that's constitutional. I think.

You are correct that the Supreme Court can intervene, but it has only constitutional avenues open to it. Inviting "intervention" is not one of them.