Daily Times

A leader of different kind, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa is instrumental in strengthening the national power in the domain of security, economy and foreign policy presiding over a paradigm shift from a national security state to a development oriented, confident nation and society.

Commanding many successes in enhancing Pakistan’s role in the region which was undermined by wars, terrorism, extremism,  polarisation and corruption Bajwa is offering new leadership to help navigate the country through a myriad of problems stemming from the troika of instability-Afghanistan, India and Central Asia.

Starting with foreign policy,Bajwa has become the most relevant military leader ever produced in this part of the world. To address imminent security threats at soft and hard levels, he projected power in the region. The latest US Afghan strategy (exiting Afghanistan with honour through reconciliation and conflict resolution) is the function of Bajwa’s robust role in bringing the Taliban to the table and assuring to implement final settlement with the US in order to prevent Afghanistan becoming jihadi headquarters in the post-US-withdrawal scenario-at a time when Washington is gradually shifting its national security priorities from counter-terrorism to bigger fish like Russia and rising China.

Bajwa’s tough call was to remove the veneer between the Taliban and Haqqanis, and the US, killing all myths widely held in Washington and quietly propagated by external info war attacks of expatriate Indians at the helms of Western media (both online social and media houses-i.e., the likes of Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google) that Pakistan’s army is playing a duplicitous role on Afghanistan’s peace and reconciliation and is least interested in contributing to the region’s stability.

Amending Pakistan’s India policy, Bajwa checkmated Delhi through a string of measures, with his behind-the-scene diplomacy focusing on talks on Kashmir and calming the Line of Control

No other Pakistani leader could have accomplished this. Amending Pakistan’s India policy, he checkmated Delhi through a string of measures, with his behind-the-scene diplomacy focusing on talks on Kashmir and calming the Line Of Control. But the most upsetting development for the Indian policy makers was his master stroke: the launch of Kartarpur Corridor which sent India into a tailspin. After the initial confusion and bewilderment, Delhi agreed to an official delegation to the inauguration ceremony of Kartarpur and was forced to acknowledge this smart maneuver by the Army Chief.

However, it is on Afghan calculus that Bajwa ate India’s cunning and guile for breakfast (as the British would put it) by convincing the US, like an astute strategist, that there is no role for India in Afghanistan to play. Having no Plan B, has the Indian security establishment was left scrambling in despair sensing all its investment evaporating into thin air.

Expanding Pakistan’s influence in the region, the soldier general rushed to Iran to calm jittery nerves. Residing in an ordinary three start hotel,Bajwa singularly removed the concerns of Tehran on CPEC, Pakistan-Saudi relations and put in place robust mechanisms in the aftermath of rock bottom Pak-Tehran ties under Gen Raheel Sharif’s watch. One may recall here that during the visit of President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, the then Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif complained of Kulbhushan Yadev’s network being operated from Chahbahar ignoring all diplomatic niceties, as many observed, of when and where to raise core concerns hence embarrassing the visiting state guest.

Pakistan’s strong presence in the Middle East was underpinned by the unrestrained role of General Bajwa who managed to re-set Islamabad’s relations with GCC countries particularly with UAE. The once broken-ties with the UAE following Pakistan’s refusal to send troops in Yemen, suddenly flourished after behind the scene moves of Bajwa. It was his efforts that paved the way for the successful visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the UAE and subsequent agreements of billions of dollars in loans and deferred oil payments. The hallmark of his efforts was the successful visit of the UAE Crown Prince, and visionary leader of the GCC block, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, to Islamabad after almost eleven years.

His hard-won accomplishment though was the new height witnessed in the bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the fields of defense, foreign policy and investment: KSA has agreed to invest $14 billion in Pakistan culminating in the high profile visit of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Suleman in February 2019. Interestingly, the more the US abandons it’s GCC allies, the more Saudi Arabia-a regional power-relies on the strategic guarantees of Pakistan, extended under his leadership.

General Bajwa also enhanced Pakistan’s defense cooperation with Russia, strengthening further security, economic and political relations to achieve Islamabad’s interests as a connecting point between Indian Ocean nations and the Euro-Asian region.

Under his watch, Bajwa managed a breakthrough with another very important regional heavy weight-Turkey: It is believed that Turkey has agreed to pay $5 billion to Pakistan as an investment.

His very eventful visits to Egypt, Qatar and China underscored the fact that Pakistan is increasing its clout as a connectivity hub and is leveraging its strategic place between the Gulf, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean regions.

Domestically, adherence to a value and commitment of making Pakistan a secure, stable and prosperous nation, is mainly born out of Bajwa’s efforts to counter terrorism, insurgency, and corruption. It was his public undertaking to stand behind civil institutions which led to an extended accountability process, and a muscular NAB to arrest powerful figure like three-times Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, two-times Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, and a launch of an invigorated probe into Former President Asif Ali Zardari’s fake account scandal.

His leadership is sought for redressal of grievances by concerned citizens from the business community, father of Naqeebllah Masood, to employees of Steel Mill and PIA. Yet, Gen Bajwa does operate outside the spotlight.

Imran Khan is lucky to have Gen Bajwa at the helms as Army Chief, for he (Imran Khan) is enjoying the absolute backing of the army whether it is on the issue of a crackdown against the TLP or opening up of Pakistan’s visa regime to the world, or round the clock operation of Pak-Afghan border at Torkham crossing (with huge security implications). After all, Harmonious civil-military convergence is a prerequisite for any civilian leader to deliver on issues of critical importance to the nation. This is why Imran Khan is going to be judged mainly on governance, first generation reforms, poverty alleviation and relief to common man.

Yet, still, Bajwa’s leadership is the product of broader geo-politics of the world which needed a strong military leader to battle extremist forces, and terrorist groups stemming from the region and further accentuated when the US recalibrated its policy in South and West Asia e.g., replacing military solution for facilitation in conflict resolution; therefore, comes the world in pursuit of his contribution for the cause of greater international stability and security.

One must give credit where credit is due: General Bajwa’s leadership has put Pakistan on the international stage, at times when Euro-Asia is rising in clout. His continued role is going to be an integral part of Pakistan’s success trajectory in the time to come.

Jan Achakzai is a geopolitical analyst and a politician

Published in Daily Times, February 4^th 2019.