Sir: The suspension of construction activities at the new GHQ in Islamabad seems to indicate the desire of the military to be seen as a part of a national whole rather than an institution lording over downtrodden people.
By announcing the halting of construction of the lavish new headquarters, a Rs 60 billion project to be built on 99 acres of prime land in Islamabad, the COAS has indicated that the Pakistan Army is ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people.
The announcement certainly marks a divergence from the past, where the army has dictated terms to governments and moved to oust them as and when it chose. For the people of Pakistan, an end to this unfortunate tradition would be the best news they have heard in decades.
In this context, the symbolism is also important. The GHQ site represented to many the position of the military as an institution that holds it own interests dearer than those of the citizens it is intended to serve. We must now hope that this past order will change and the efforts of General Kayani will bring people closer to an institution from which they have over the decades felt increasingly distant.
MUHAMMAD ARSHAD NADEEM
Islamabad
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