Democracy’s savior: The Military?

Ever since Islamabad was taken hostage by the two rallying political parties namely PTI and PAT, speculation about the military’s involvement in the situation has arisen on many occasions and through various channels. Not only has it boiled down to speculation but baseless allegations have been leveled against the military as well.

The add is that the nation’s historic paranoia of the military and its coups, will always be confused when evaluating the military’s intentions on taking control of Islamabad and turning Pakistan into an unruly dictatorship as seen in the previous decades. However, this time, even though the military was in an over-watch role it has made it clear time and time again that it does not intend to meddle in the affairs of the state. On numerous occasions it has asked the political parties to converge in a form of table dialogue which will end the stalemate overpowering Pakistan currently. It is vital then to configure that for the first time in history, the military is upholding the rights of a civilian government and seeing democracy through. Despite the media and general public opinion claiming opposing theories, the argument on the military wanting to use its professionalism in security apparatuses rather than the state affairs has begun to ring true. How so? Well, the coup would have taken place by now. What the public opinion seems to dismiss is that the army has been called in by the civilian government to take affairs into their hands and even though this act has been deemed as a soft coup by many it remains safe to claim that the military has been pushed into politics by the government itself, in which case again, the army works on saving its image by emphasizing the need for democratic rules.

The hypothetical military take over for the fifth time would cause an international outcry that Pakistan is in no position to bear. Not only will it be a death-blow to democracy at home, but it will also harbor ill feelings towards Pakistan, a country that is in a strategic position when it comes to the war against terrorism. Not only will it set Pakistan back, but will aid in maneuvering a widening gap in comparison to its rival India, next door. India and Pakistan have now initiated steps in trade but with a military take-over; it will isolate Pakistan in the region. Not only will India hold back, but allies such as the United States which gives supportive aid to Pakistan will have to impose sanctions under its laws. Again, a situation that, Pakistan cannot afford at this point in time.

The military in Pakistan is conducting Operation Zarb-e-Azab to save Pakistan. With natural disasters such as the floods that have taken over certain regions in Punjab, the military is focusing on rescue operations there as well. Keeping this in view, the military simply cannot get side-tracked into disastrous political involvement unless there are extraordinary circumstances that warrant such a retrograde step.

Tacstrat Analysis