KARACHI:
Civilian leaders have the last word in decision-making, said Kamran Khan
in his programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Friday.
He said observers say framing of charges by the court against former president Pervez Musharraf and the government’s decision to decline his request for travel abroad point towards the fact that Pakistan’s civilian leadership is playing the central role in the decision-making process.
The military leadership had advised the government regarding Gen (retd) Musharraf’s travel abroad saying since charges have been framed against Musharraf and the trial is to proceed so Musharraf should be allowed to go abroad to visit his ailing mother. But the civilian leadership, especially Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his political associates thought that in view of the political situation obtaining in the country and in view of the supremacy of the law and the constitution in the country, the request should be declined and Musharraf should not be allowed to go abroad for the time being. At least permission to Musharraf to go abroad should not come from the political government, and if such a decision comes from the court then things should proceed in the light of that decision.
The observers opine that during all the civilian governments since the creation of Pakistan, the balance regarding decision-making between the civil and military leadership has generally tilted toward the military, but now an improvement is being noted and the situation has changed altogether.
Perhaps it is for the first time in recent history that the political leadership has rejected an important advice from the military leadership, and this very decision indicates that perhaps now the civilian leadership has embarked on taking all the major decisions. The civilian leadership will for sure consult the military in this regard, but it is not clear if it will accept the advice given by the military.
Before the formation of the Pakistan Muslim League-N government, the party leaders had always emphasized that the country should have a strong democratic government which should have the authority to take all the decisions whether those decisions related to the foreign policy or the security affairs or any other matter.
In the last five years, though there was a civilian democratic government, the observers say, yet the central decision-making was with the military. Even decisions of domestic nature were taken after consultation with the military, whether the decision related to the appointment of a head of a national institution, the foreign minister and other purely civilian matters, the military leadership was always consulted, and it was generally observed that the military leadership even enjoyed the veto power in most of the matters.
It was believed in those days that the situation will change with the change of government because Nawaz Sharif and all his political contemporaries always spoke against the practice, and Nawaz Sharif always said that a democratic government should have total authority to take all the decisions.
He said observers say framing of charges by the court against former president Pervez Musharraf and the government’s decision to decline his request for travel abroad point towards the fact that Pakistan’s civilian leadership is playing the central role in the decision-making process.
The military leadership had advised the government regarding Gen (retd) Musharraf’s travel abroad saying since charges have been framed against Musharraf and the trial is to proceed so Musharraf should be allowed to go abroad to visit his ailing mother. But the civilian leadership, especially Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his political associates thought that in view of the political situation obtaining in the country and in view of the supremacy of the law and the constitution in the country, the request should be declined and Musharraf should not be allowed to go abroad for the time being. At least permission to Musharraf to go abroad should not come from the political government, and if such a decision comes from the court then things should proceed in the light of that decision.
The observers opine that during all the civilian governments since the creation of Pakistan, the balance regarding decision-making between the civil and military leadership has generally tilted toward the military, but now an improvement is being noted and the situation has changed altogether.
Perhaps it is for the first time in recent history that the political leadership has rejected an important advice from the military leadership, and this very decision indicates that perhaps now the civilian leadership has embarked on taking all the major decisions. The civilian leadership will for sure consult the military in this regard, but it is not clear if it will accept the advice given by the military.
Before the formation of the Pakistan Muslim League-N government, the party leaders had always emphasized that the country should have a strong democratic government which should have the authority to take all the decisions whether those decisions related to the foreign policy or the security affairs or any other matter.
In the last five years, though there was a civilian democratic government, the observers say, yet the central decision-making was with the military. Even decisions of domestic nature were taken after consultation with the military, whether the decision related to the appointment of a head of a national institution, the foreign minister and other purely civilian matters, the military leadership was always consulted, and it was generally observed that the military leadership even enjoyed the veto power in most of the matters.
It was believed in those days that the situation will change with the change of government because Nawaz Sharif and all his political contemporaries always spoke against the practice, and Nawaz Sharif always said that a democratic government should have total authority to take all the decisions.
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