• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Monday, June 16, 2025

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Ramblings
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Arts, Culture & Books
  • Lifestyle
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

Civil-military tensions continue even after Nawaz’s ouster

Pakistan’s decade long democratic transition has entered into an uncertain phase. As the second elected Parliament inches towards the end of its term, civilian authority has eroded beyond repair. It is up to the democrats if they wish to regain some of the lost ground or would let this slide continue.

The ouster of Nawaz Sharif in July 2017 by the Supreme Court on a mere technicality highlighted the fragility of the democratic system. But the civilian authority had been gradually eroding throughout Sharif’s four years as the Prime Minister. His failings aside, Sharif did not have much of a say in the country’s foreign and security policies. He periodically tried to assert himself but gave up half way virtually allowing the former Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to act as the de facto Foreign Minister. Military commanders posted in provinces steered security and counter terrorism operations with Chief Ministers acting as subordinates. The Parliament amended the constitution and allowed for establishment of military courts. The main opposition party openly sided with the military in the Nawaz-establishment duel.

Sharif’s successor is an experienced cabinet minister and he is doing a fairly good job given the circumstances, which are clearly pitted against the ruling party. The Interior Minister — a firebrand Nawaz loyalist — was rebuked and not allowed to enter into a court by Rangers which technically report to him. More recently, the Army chief has opined about the perils faced by the economy. For any sitting government such advice is potentially worrisome especially in an election year. The Interior Minister once again challenged the locus standi of the Army chief and the military spokesperson has expressed the institutional ‘disappointment’ at the minister’s impudence.

The tense relations between the civilian government and the khakis indicate that despite Nawaz Sharif’s exit, the latter has not yet lost the political game. And his party’s government in Islamabad considers him as its legitimate leader. He may not enjoy the office but he still wields immense political power.

The continued squabbling among the arms of the state, and between the political forces is neither good for the democratic system nor for the economy. Perhaps it is time for the parliament to step in and find a way forward

Sharif’s ouster from the PM office was meant to push him out of politics. But given that he is a creature of the ‘system’, he has played his cards deftly thus far. For starters, he blocked his brother’s promotion as the PM. His party amended a law enabling him to continue as the head of the party. Now with the Senate elections in March his party will have a majority in the upper house thereby opening doors for legislation that may serve is cause further.

As a ‘disqualified’ PM, Sharif still retains his popular base in the Punjab province. His wife has won an important by-election and clearly his daughter is the political heir and not his brother who is viewed favourably by the establishment.  In terms of rhetoric, Sharif and his cronies have put the courts on a defensive. Despite the fact that majority of private broadcast media is tilted against the Sharif family, the largest TV network has not yet abandoned Sharif.

But this might change. There are plethora of corruption allegations against Sharif and his immediate family that will be investigated by the accountability courts. These investigations could lead to imprisonment or a negotiated exile of the father-daughter duo. In that eventuality, it will be easier for the political opportunists within PML-N to bid farewell. This gerrymeandering will perhaps take place sooner than later, results of which remain unclear for at least four reasons.

First, it will be difficult to undo the PML-N’s hold over the electoral politics in the Punjab. Nawaz Sharif brand still gets candidates votes and these may decrease in 2018 but in many constituencies the additional vote leads a candidate to victory. This is why the younger Sharif is hesitant to part ways with the brother. A divided PML-N does not serve his interest either. Second, the parliamentarians especially those who wish to get re-elected are not likely to lose the development funds and other sources of patronage before the next election. PML-N is their gateway. With PPP’s virtual routing in the Punjab and PTI’s shaky inroads, both these parties are unable to challenge PML-N. Even the ‘electables’ they get from PML-N will face an uphill task. Finally, it is next to impossible to undertake electoral manipulation that was possible earlier. In the age of dozens of news channels, vibrant social media and citizen journalism, this is simply not a doable option (and for these very reasons it is difficult for the military to takeover).

This is why Nawaz Sharif remains a problem. Perhaps even bigger than when he occupied the office where he was restrained by decorum and other niceties.

Historically, civilian governance has not lasted more than a decade. After a decade of Pakistan’s creation, the Armed forces stepped in and assumed the reins of power. But this is highly unlikely in 2017. The international support and a domestic consensus (even when manufactured) are missing today. The other softer ‘intervention’ namely a technocratic national government was also ruled out by the military spokesperson on Saturday.

The continued squabbling among the arms of the state, and between the political forces is neither good for the democratic system nor for the economy. Perhaps it is time for the parliament to step in and find a way forward. Chairman Senate’s earlier call for a dialogue might work in these testing times for the country.

 

The writer is editor, Daily Times. He can be reached at [email protected] and tweets @razarumi

 

 

Published in Daily Times, October 15th 2017.

Filed Under: Op-Ed

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Iran’s missile attacks shake Israel’s confidence in civilian safety

France shuts Israeli weapons stands at Paris airshow, sparking diplomatic tension

Amazon to invest $13 billion in AI data centres across Australia

Pakistan assures sufficient petroleum reserves amid Iran-Israel conflict

Olympic hero Arshad Nadeem joins Forbes’ 30 under 30 hall of fame

Pakistan

Pakistan assures sufficient petroleum reserves amid Iran-Israel conflict

PTI proposes PPP boycott of federal budget to block government’s approval

PM Shehbaz forms special committee to tackle oil price shock amid middle east tensions

Punjab unveils Rs5.3 trillion budget with 10% pay raise and no new taxes

PM Shehbaz launches IT training drive to turn Pakistan into regional tech hub

More Posts from this Category

Business

State bank keeps interest rate at 11% to support stability, warns of trade deficit risks

Pakistan powers up: final agreements for Karachi’s nuclear plants approved

Govt nears final deal with wind power projects to ease energy costs

PM Shehbaz calls overseas remittances a backbone of Pakistan’s economy

Pakistan approves Rs 25 billion for key projects, focuses on energy, education, and digital growth

More Posts from this Category

World

Iran’s missile attacks shake Israel’s confidence in civilian safety

France shuts Israeli weapons stands at Paris airshow, sparking diplomatic tension

Amazon to invest $13 billion in AI data centres across Australia

More Posts from this Category




Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2025 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy