This is indicative of the fact that though the two Sharifs have met for a number of times, they have not held even a slight discussion on the former general’s future.Both apparently consciously avoided touching this subject for their own reasons and restricted their deliberations to only burning national issues specifically security matters, terrorism and peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
All together, the Sharif duo has met for some half a dozen times since the new army chief took command of the Pakistan Army in November last. Since then, Nawaz Sharif has been abroad on official tours for nearly a month, which means that the prime minister and the COAS have held meetings at least twice a month which is a very good frequency keeping in view the record of the sessions between such position holders in the past.
This regularity, generally speaking, signals the impression that all’s well as the two top guns sit together and positively work to thrash out issues, sharing views on almost all matters that have the potential of marring their relations.
They met in December, January, February and March, and are expected to be under one roof once again four days later on April 19 at the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul passing out parade where the prime minister will be the chief guest. They may hold a session even before that.
Almost every time, the two chiefs met, senior cabinet ministers and other top officials harped on the theme that the government and the army are on the same page on all critical issues. This was always taken as a positive development in a country where they have usually been holding conflicting stands.
Intensive interactions no doubt help remove misgivings and misunderstandings apart from helping formulation of consensus policies. But although the two sides have been frequently meeting, they have not been on the same wavelength and have not developed the desired rapport on the Musharraf saga otherwise General Raheel Sharif would not have deemed it necessary to issue his famous public statement, prompting some elements, who dream of rocking the relations between the two for their ulterior motives, to paint it as a storm.
All the soldiers’ concerns that the general wanted to address through his public remarks could have been discussed with the prime minister and an easy way-out would have been conveniently found to remove them.
Interpretations of the chief’s comment are galore. One most mooted and plausible puts it as a reaction to some statements of two Khawajas, Defence Minister M Asif and Railways Minister Saad Rafique.
Instead of going public, the best option was to point out to the prime minister their “irresponsible attack” that may have demoralised the soldiers fighting on different fronts, and get it stopped
General Raheel Sharif has just started his three-year tenure as the army chief. Never before has any of his predecessors issued such a statement after just first four months of assuming office. Regardless of what other highly placed government functionaries have stated, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan turned out to be more forthcoming, honest and saner when he admitted the row, though temporarily, which he hoped would go not without much difficulty.
The COAS has made it a point to take some other generals including Ashfaque Nadeem, the Chief of General Staff, and Zaheerul Islam, the Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in some high-level meetings with the prime minister, who was assisted by his close aides.
Apart from the elaborate contacts the prime minister has had with the army chief, Chaudhry Nisar too has been having comprehensive interactions with the top men of the security establishment including the ISI chief for consultations on the peace talks and other matters.
At no stage has the government gone solo on the question of the dialogue process. It constituted the first committee after talking to the army. Again, it consulted the force when it formed the second body. Thus, there has been no breaking of communication on this critical issue. But still some people, who pose themselves to be speaking on behalf of the security establishment, have been asserting that the army is annoyed over the release of some Taliban prisoners.
However, even if the government has wanted to free any such inmates, it can’t do so because all of them are in the custody of the army. Rebutting this vicious campaign, the interior minister has to say that the 19 Taliban prisoners were set free after consultations with the army.
If Nawaz Sharif indeed needs to rein in some of his ministers from unnecessary haranguing against Musharraf that is taken as criticism on the army, Raheel Sharif is required to hold back those elements in different agencies. Both have equal bigger responsibility to nip the evil of fueling confrontation in the bud. Everyone is well aware that Pakistan’s plate is full of paramount problems and it can’t brook any adventurism.
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