(By jamal Hussain)
There is a near unanimous consensus among the Pakistani
public that General (Retd) Raheel Sharif is, by a wide margin, the best Army
Chief the country has had to date. During his three years’ tenure, there was
not even a whiff of financial or procedural irregularities connected to him,
his family or friends. Despite exhortation by a large section of the society to
seek extension, a year before his term was to end he publicly announced his
decision not to accept any extension or promotion to the five-star rank of a
Field Marshal, which was being rumoured in the media. His entire period was
devoted to the conduct of war against the terror syndicates that was
threatening the existence of the state. He retired honourably at the designated
time, handing over the command baton to his successor which the political
leadership had selected.
Within weeks of his relinquishing of command,
character assassination of the General started and it gained momentum when he
decided to consider the Saudi offer of an advisor to the kingdom on military
affairs. Since then a floodgate of insinuations opened attempting to ruin the
image of the General. Why did Raheel Sharif visit Saudi Arabia to discuss the
matter with the Said Royals and what might have been his motives for doing so?
Where any rules broken in his negotiations about the deal and should he accept
he the assignment. Would it help or compromise the national interest are some
of the aspects that need greater scrutiny.
Was financial endowment a motive for the
General to study the Saudi offer? As the Army chief, Raheel enjoyed power,
influence, perks and respect at a level no Arab monarch could have matched. Had
wealth accumulation been his priority, he could have enriched himself staying
within the legal (though not necessarily moral) limits. He kept himself
scrupulously honest in this regard and even his worst detractors cannot point a
finger at him of financial irregularities. The attempt by some of his
detractors about agricultural land allotted to him is misleading and
mischievous. Award of agricultural land adjacent to the Indian border to
military officers for a specific purpose and time, in line with a
well-regulated policy of the government and several senior commanders, serving
and retired have benefitted from it. To accuse Raheel of any wrongdoing or
misuse of his authority is simply not true.
Raheel Sharif is the first Pakistan Army Chief
to have donated two DHA plots that had been allotted to him worth millions of
rupees to the Martyrs Fund, which was established for the welfare of families
of those who scarifies of those who sacrificed their lives for country in war
and anti-terrorism operations (News Capital TV). People in power do donate
generously to charitable organizations from public fund but rarely from their
own resources. Not so Raheel, who set an example by contributing from his own
source. Keeping his scrupulously honest service record and his willingly
donating handsomely to a noble cause, one can safely discount personal finances
as a motivation for his embarking on a journey that would expose him to
criticism.
During his term as the Army Chief, the welfare
of officers and men under his command has very high on the agenda of Raheel.
The promotion of the Martyrs Fund was his earnest desire and through his
personal contribution, he encouraged contributions from other sources. Helping
the Saudi Royals to extricate their country from the Yemen quagmire could help
loosening of their purse string for the noble Martyrs Fund, Raheel cherished.
This could have been at best an incentive but not the raison d’etre for him to
have considered the Saudi offer.
Throughout his tenure as the Army Chief Raheel
Sharif remained focused on his primary objective of defeating the existential
threat to Pakistan posed by the terror syndicates. Zarb e Azb, the military
campaign launched under his command was just one strand of the strategy to
defeat the enemy waging a subconventional war against the state. It must be
complemented by social and economic uplift of regions that spawn terrorists or
else the military successes would be of a temporary nature. His exhortation to
the political leadership about controlling the endemic corruption prevalent in
the governance because of the unholy nexus between corruption and terror did
not elicit the requisite response.
His opponents portarayed his candour as a
crude attempt to lay grounds for another military putsch agaist the civilian
setup. Man of his countrymen, on the other hand believed that of the rationales
justifying the three military coup (and one takeover) in the nation’s short
history, Raheel Sharif perhaps had a far stronger case for declaring another
Martial Law; but he stayed loyal to the constitution of the country and to the
oath he had taken on commission and kept the Army apolitical despite exhortations
by many dismiss the civilian setup through a military coup.
The Yemen crisis in the meanwhile had brewed
up putting Pakistan in a very delicate situation. Pakistan had to decline the
Saudi request for Pakistani troops to be a part of the 34-nation coalition
assembled for the offensive against the Houthi rebels in Yemen who had toppled
the Yemini government, allegedly with the backing of Iran. This refusal had
upset the Saudi Royals and their UAE allies who considered it a betrayal by a
friend. Considering the very close relationship between the two states and the
Saudi diplomatic support and financial assistance in keeping the Pakistani
economy afloat in crisis, this was a major setback. Pakistan’s sincere advice
to Saudi Arabia to desist from any military adventure against Yemen went
unheeded.
Events post Yemen invasion has vindicated the
Pakistani stance and the Saudi government now looked towards Pakistan to help
them extricate honourably from the Yemen crisis. Raheel Sharif’s reputation as
a very able military commander in the manner Operation Zarb e Azb was
successfully conducted has been recognized internationally. Daily Pakistan
Global had reported in March 10, 2016, that Saudi Arabia had offered Raheel
Sharif to join its 34-country alliance as commander-in-chief after his
retirement from Pakistan Army head the supreme military commander of the
coalition forces.
Sources confirm that the command offer to
Raheel Sharif after his retirement was conveyed to the Pakistani Prime Minister
who had given his consent. After retiring honourably from the Pakistan Army,
the General has gone on a visit to Saudi Arabia on the invitation of the host
country to study the proposal before arriving at a final decision. This visit
appears have open a maelstrom of criticism by a section of the Pakistani public
deriding the General, accusing him of betraying the national trust and of being
mercenary.
Raheel had vowed to crush the insurgency
during his term. Although militarily the insurgency has been weakened
considerable it has the potential of resurfacing because other strands of the
anti-terror strategy failed to cope up with the successes on the battlefield---
Internal and external factors were responsible for the state’s inability to
implement them effectively. The Saudi – Iranian rivalry the has strong sectarian
element was one of the external factors hampering Pakistan in its fight against
the Sunni – Shia sectarian terror syndicates who allegedly draw support and
inspiration from Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively.
The Saudi – Iranian animosity has place
Pakistan in a very awkward position. A bridging of the hostility between the
two would extricate Pakistan from the difficulty of having to choose one side
at the cost of the other. Perhaps Raheel’s decision to consider the Saudi offer
favourably is based on his belief he could play a constructive role in reducing
the bitterness and trust deficit between the two. A retired Pakistan Army
three-star General has stated with authority that one of the three conditions
Raheel has laid down before the Saudi government was a formal invitation to
Iran to be a part of the Coalition. (Dunya News).
Unconfirmed reports about the appointment of
Raheel Sharif as an advisor of Saudi Arabia led military alliance of 39 Muslim
nations to fight terrorism has been aired by various TV news channels and media
groups in Pakistan---an official notification, however, from Riyadh is still
awaited. One would assume that the issuance of the No Objection Certificate
would be a mere formality when and if the deal is finalized, given the close
friendly relationship between the current Prime Minister of Pakistan and the
Saudi Royals.
The King is dead, long live the King, is an
adage applicable universally across all human societies. In Pakistan,
especially, it has far greater following---the country has a history of
trivializing its Nobel Laureates and internationally recognized heroes on petty
personal grounds. For Saudi Arabia to seek the help of Raheel Sharif after his
retirement to advise them on any future military strategy should be an honour
for the nation. Why would a section of the public and media attempt to demonise
it is worth reflecting.
Raheel Sharif has won the heart of his
countrymen by his professionalism, honesty and total devotion to Pakistan.
While “Pakistan first” is a slogan being repeated ad nauseam by all and sundry,
Raheel has proven it through his deeds and not just words. His refusal to
impose Martial Law despite exhortation by a section of the public might have
disappointed some but it has won him laurels from the majority. His steadfast
stand to honour the solemn pledge of not violating the constitution of Pakistan
has raised his stature as a man of principle. Raheel as a political entity
would pose a serious challenge and threat to the current lot but fortunately
for them there is a two-year ban on retiring government officials before they
can enter the political arena.
If Raheel in his new assignment as an advisor
succeeds in bridging the divide in the Muslim world, his popularity in Pakistan
would soar to a level where he will, for all practical purpose, be unbeaten in
polls. Should he after two years, decide to head/create a political party and
run for elections, it could be doomsday scenario for the incumbents. The Raheel
threat must be nipped in the bud and the efforts to malign him and ruin his reputation
by those who feel threatened by his growing popularity might be viewed from
this perspective.
