Binoo Joshi

News Analysis

 

Jammu, October 7

It  must have disturbed the world  community when Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif invoked it to condemn the “ distortion of facts by India”  regarding Indian part of Kashmir , while an elected civilian government is in place in  that country .

Making such an appeal  to the international community by Pakistan’s army chief has many reasons for the global community to get worried. It was   fine as long as the elected Prime Minister  of Pakistan Nawaz  Sharif  , howsoever illogical in the backdrop of  his country’s  dubious role in promoting trouble and terrorism, in Kashmir ,  made it .

“We have recently witnessed an unfortunate display of utter desperation playing out inside occupied Kashmir and along the Line of Control through a litany of falsehood and distortion of facts by India,” he said while addressing a passing out parade of PAF cadets as reported in Dawn  newspaper .

“We expect the international community to condemn Indian insinuations and fabrications about a nation that has made unparalleled contributions to the global fight against terrorism.”

When  the army chief resorts  to half truths, invoking the international  community , the dynamics  assume a dangerous shape .

 

After his Prime Minister  had made such an appeal , there was no need, not it suits the protocol , for Gen. Sharif to talk  directly to the world community.

Gen. Sharif has deliberately  spoken all this with the clear objective of undermining the position of Prime Minister. This  amounts to a straight challenge to the civilian and elected leadership by the army chief, who represents 600,000 soldiers of his country  at  a time when  a joint session of the Parliament was in progress.

This  sounds a  humiliating rebuff to Prime Minister who advised  the army to go after the terror minds who orchestrated the 26/11 and Pathankot attacks  from Pakistani soil .

Nawaz Sharif’s advice or warning to the army and ISI  could have  vindicated his civilian authority as also the high moral ground to blunt the international criticism that Pakistan was  an acknowledged exporter of terrorism . This  was something indigestible for the army, because in Pakistan the state actor   doubles up as non-state actor too.

More surprising is not the fact that Pakistan is not under martial law, officially, nor the civilian leadership under impeachment.  This makes all  these invocations  as ominous signs for  the international community , particularly India. Above all for Prime Minister Sharif himself.