Brig Arun Bajpai
Having made him lose his chair of Prime Minster of Pakistan earlier on Panama paper leaks, Pakistani Army in connivance with their Supreme Court has ensured that three times Prime Minster of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, is politically finished in Pakistan by ensuring that National Accountability Court of Pakistan gives him 10 years rigorous punishment in jail for purchase of four flats in UK and his daughter Marium Nawaz 7 years rigorous imprisonment both of them have also been fined 80 lakh and 20 lakh pounds respectively. It is worth remembering that general elections are being held in Pakistan on 25 July this year. Earlier Pakistani Generals had disqualified only Nawaz Sharif from fighting elections now his daughter Marium has also been disqualified.
Since last year Pakistani Army had joined hands with Pakistani SC to throw out Navaz Sharif. Last year suddenly Pakistan SC came up with an allegation that since Nawaz Sharif had hidden the retainer he was getting from his sons Dubai Firm in his IT return, so he is corrupt and cannot continue to be Prime Minster of Pakistan. Surely this is a very spurious argument. If these criteria of corruption is applied to all politicians of Pakistan then all will be found corrupt. Then three months back this year on the same charges and arguments Pakistani SC had disqualified Nawaz Sharif that he cannot be leader of his political party or hold any other political appointment.
After his disqualification and stepping down from the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan last year, Nawaz Sharif along with his daughter Marium Navaz hit the road , doing road shows and campaigning for his party Muslim league. Nawaz Lo and behold he and his daughter started getting tremendous response from public. This unnerved Pakistani Generals. Who then got together to politically finish of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Marium once for all. Pakistani Supreme Court came to their help and both of them started planning end game for Sharif. Basic fault of Sharif was that when he got elected in 2013, with a thumping majority after ousting Musharraf and his military rule, he wanted to bring Army also under the democratically elected government of Pakistan and have good relations with India. Both these issues are anathema to Pakistani Army. They never in last 70 years of Pakistan independence have accepted hegemony of the democratically elected government of Pakistan over them. As for good relations with India, it is just NO NO because antagonism with India is their bread and butter. This allows them to project to the people of Pakistan that but for them India will gobble up Pakistan any day. This ensures that they can run 20 billion dollar business in Pakistan (Ayesha Siddiqa book Military Incorporation) as also get best of everything in Pakistan. They will never ever allow good relations with India which will be very good for Pakistani people but not for them.
The Pakistani Army game is that convert the Sharif allegations that Pakistani Army is running a parallel Government and sponsoring jehadi organisations to go across to India to launch terror attacks and isolating Pakistan in world forum, into India-Pakistan affair, thereby taking the focus away from Nawaz Sharif recent Charges against Pakistani Army. Especially so since general elections are to be held in Pakistan by 25 July and caretaker government has taken over reins of power in Pakistan. It is necessary for India to go all out now to expose Pakistani Army and its nefarious game quoting Nawaz Sharif. India must not succumb to Pakistani Army dangling olive branch in the name of its Army Chief Bajwa doctrine that Pakistan wants peace talks resumed with India and wants peaceful relations.
Maybe Pakistani Army wants peace with India but after continuation of sponsoring jehadi activities against India calling these jehadis non state actors. India must not allow this to happen. Pakistani Army must first finish of this cancer of jehadi organisations on their soil if they really want peace with India. Truth is that this army will never have peace with India. We will always have to live with a hostile Pakistan.
(The author is Defence and Strategic Analyst)
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Courtesy: Daily Excelsior: 10/07/2018