Civilian institutions and the
military
In an interview with Aaj News,
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said that the
Pakistani armed forces are the most powerful, most loved by the people and well
organised national institution. Further, that the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) was well equipped, organised and synchronised. Civil-military
relations, he continued, in contrast with the past, were moving towards excellence
in the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) government. The role of
the armed forces was to support and strengthen national institutions so that
the system could move forward in a befitting manner, the worthy minister said
in answer to a question. Fawad Chaudhry, who has been transferred from Federal
Information Minister to the Science and Technology Ministry, could not refrain
from introducing a personal note when he claimed that non-elected elements’
influence or pressure on elected persons created problems that were apparent in
some institutions. Presumably he was referring to his replacement, Dr Firdous
Ashiq Awan as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information. In a
follow up tweet a day later, Fawad Chaudhry made amends of sorts for his
‘indiscretion’ by denying that there was any rift in the PTI government’s ranks
and added the government was here to stay. He also underlined the fact that
civilian institutions had been destroyed by nepotism, favouritism and
overlooking merit. There is verity in this last assertion since the periods of
civilian rule in our history are a long and unremitting roster of manipulation
of the civil service through appointments of favourites, a practice that has
virtually destroyed the bureaucracy’s inherited autonomy, integrity and
efficiency. Playing ducks and drakes with democratic principles may have
brought dubious temporary advantages to incumbent civilian governments, but
eventually the effect of such practices is seen in the credibility crisis of
our political class. Few informed observers are prepared to buy the PTI’s partisan
corruption mantra against the two main opposition parties – the PML-N and the
PPP – without pointing out the endemic nature of the affliction in our system
from top to bottom, including elements of the ruling PTI itself.
Fawad Chaudhry’s views reflect
a deeper and more serious problem than he is prepared to admit. First and
foremost, the military’s repeated coups, martial laws, and political
interventions from behind the scenes lie at the heart of the constant interruption
of normal democratic development whose sine qua non is continuity and the rule
of law and the Constitution. While this part of the equation is a matter of
record, there is also no denying the responsibility of civilian governments in
our history turning out disappointing for the hopes of everyone with the
country’s welfare at heart. Had these governments governed responsibly and
thereby shown results, the space that repeatedly opened up for military
interventions may have been restricted. Of course the argument of the military
establishment is that interventions were not the first choice for them but they
felt constrained to act when the civilian side so obviously and potentially
catastrophically faltered. While the truth may objectively lie somewhere in the
middle of these contrasting positions, there is no denying the negative (and
often unintended) consequences of the perceived dominant role of the military
in national life. Not only has this stunted the growth of democratic
institutions – parliament, the judiciary, a free press – it has arguably
stunted the incremental growth of a mature political class wedded to the
principles enshrined in the Constitution and mindful of governance that
enhances rather than erodes the credibility of civilian democratic rule. Currently,
the very government of which Fawad Chaudhry is a minister is widely perceived as
having been brought in through a manipulated if not rigged election. The
scenario is, therefore, not an encouraging one for a future based on
representative democracy and the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
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