Army, ISI intervened to end stand-off

[Asian.Century]

Army, ISI intervened to end stand-off

By: Ashraf Javed | January 19, 2013

LAHORE - Country’s premier intelligence agency - ISI - played key role in ending the worsening stand-off between the long-march leadership and the government after some government elements planned for a dangerous operation to arrest Dr Tahirul Qadri during the sit-in in Islamabad, sources disclosed to TheNation on Friday.

A timely intervention by Pak Army, made possible by its intelligence tentacles, enabled aborting of a commando like operation aimed at arresting the chief of the Tehrik Minhajul Quran. Highly-placed sources revealed that as the stand-off stiffened, certain elements in the govt planned for a dangerous operation to arrest the leader of the long march on January 16 or 17. Intelligence sources quoting credible inputs revealed that a federal law enforcing agency, on the advice of the interior ministry, had been tasked to carry out the “sting operation” to arrest Dr Qadri, a liberal Pakistani-Canadian cleric who has a strong stance against terrorism.

The possibilities of casualties among those protecting the march’s leader were accepted as an ‘unavoidable collateral damage’. “But the army and the intelligence agency leadership diffused the tension,” an intelligence official told this reporter during a brief chat. “Rather than exploiting the situation and playing the role of a grabber, the military leadership did their best to bring down the temperature on the political sphere,” he explained. The official straightforwardly rejected the allegations levelled by some opposition parties that the security establishment supported the marchers. He said the security forces had nothing to do with the political developments taking place during the last some days in the country.

About the ‘sting operation’ the sources further revealed that the details of the risky plan were picked up by the intelligence agencies. “The planned operation envisaged use of water cannons to disperse the protective cordon around Qadri and then sending in a team using shock-tactics to grab their target,” sources explained. On the directives of the government, the machinery had been installed close to the long march near the Parliament House in the federal capital to use water cannons to hit the marchers. Referring to interior minister, an intelligence source said, “Mr Malik had given go-ahead to a civilian (law enforcement) agency to launch the operation telling them that even five to six killings doesn’t matter.”

A quick response by the army and intelligence leadership, who advised against such a reckless adventure and its pernicious fall-out, made the government high ups block the potentially disastrous operation.

A military official said that the army and intelligence leadership took constructive steps to ease tension though some circles were propagating that the long march had been plotted to derail the otherwise fragile democratic set-up.

He also termed the coup rumours amid long march “absurd and based on disinformation”, stating that the security forces had nothing to do with the political developments. He said there was no link or contact between Qadri and the security agencies prior to the march, clearly dispelling the impression that the cleric was staging a stunt on their behest.

Pak Army or ISI had nothing to do with the recent developments – from sit-in of Shias mourning Quetta killings to the long march. “Even if we suppose that some quarters in the security establishment were backing the long march, then what have they achieved through all this?” questioned the official.

Had there been any plan for military takeover, the situation was obviously ripe for it and the planners would have exploited this opportunity, he commented with a smile on his face. According to some other well-informed sources, the top leadership of army and the ISI is focusing on the internal and external security challenges at a time when the country is aggressively fighting against militancy and India has adopted an aggressive posture at the Line of Control. Hence, military has no space for any political adventure and the conspiracy theories ahead of polls must not be given any serious consideration.

Army, ISI intervened to end stand-off | The Nation

 

[Asian.Century]

As questions float, Army distances from long march and Dr Qadri

Shaheen Sehbai
Saturday, January 19, 2013

DUBAI: The Pakistani military establishment dispels the impression that it had anything to do with the long march of Dr Tahirul Qadri as speculation and aspersions continue in the media and political circles asking the million dollar question: Who was behind the show?

Senior army officials who obviously did not want to be named explained on background that the general thinking in the army was that the Qadri show was his own individual initiative, probably to gain political limelight and make himself relevant in the current political situation but it had no overt or covert backing or support from the establishment.

One official agreed that questions could be raised about the manner in which Dr Qadri jumped into the political foray and in a flash grabbed the headlines, swept the media and performed things which normally are hard and sometimes impossible to achieve in our political arena.

“It was a solo flight,” a senior official currently in service told me on Friday night. He agreed that Dr Qadri almost hijacked the agenda of other political players but he played his cards so fast and so efficiently that no one could stop him or even understand before the whole show was over.

While army officials are distancing themselves from the whole show, a lot of attention is being focused on the meticulous manner in which the long march was managed, the arrangements made, the precise attention to details, the discipline of the crowd, the logistics, optics and the timing of all the events, from the day Dr Qadri landed in Pakistan to the end of the show in Islamabad.

Another growing view, peddled by some media circles and those who felt hit by the Qadri show and its outcome, is thatthe PPP top brass was behind what many media people are calling as a big “farce”. It is seen as President Zardari’s master game, a deep stroke, to hit Nawaz Sharif in Punjab in collusion with Dr Qadri and his organisational and manpower strengths in the next elections. How it fits with the smiling camaraderie between Nawaz Sharif and Mr Zardari is not yet clear.

But a bigger question mark that has been raised is whether General Kayani played any role in cutting short the long march on the last day when a 90-minute deadline had been announced by Dr Qadri and things were moving in the direction that some action may have to be taken if his supporters had started moving towards the Parliament House.

One theory, strongly denied by military officials, is that after Dr Qadri gave his deadline and started preparing his cadres for forward march, some Red phone lines in Pindi and Islamabad became active and a clear message was given that this would not be allowed and the government must find a peaceful solution before things get out of hand.

This phone call, something similar to the call that was made during the Nawaz Sharif’s long march for the restoration of the judges which ended the march in 2009, could have changed the whole scenario as within a matter of minutes a super high-level team of all the PPP big wigs was in the container of Dr Qadri, with ministers shuttling between the PM House and the D-Chowk as couriers and with praises heaped on the Allama on live TV for hours.

He was even allowed by these top PPP and allies leaders to control the media, give his explanation of the declaration even before the text was read out, and manipulate the show.

Whether it was a face-saving offered by the govt to Dr Qadri at the last time, or it was done under duress or pressure of the establishment is not clear but the firm denials of the military are absolutely understandable, as the event is now over and the damage has been averted.

Who benefits and who loses from the outcome of the long march will become clear in the coming days but certainly the one person who spent a lot of money and who was at the centre of the show, has succeeded in his mission.

As questions float, Army distances from long march and Dr Qadri - thenews.com.pk

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Once the general public lifts up a brick , or a rod , or a bottle filled with fuel.

Pretty much that is the end of the government

Pakistan public showed that , it can pass a `CLEAR`Message to theives (Government) either fix the shiat or go out
and the stance was very clear , by educated people of country together with poor population that is burdened with impossible task of living in country with no jobs or water or electricity.

Had PPP done anything stupid it would be resulted in a , revolution at scale of Iranian revolution and still it could happen

Becasue people are fed up with none sense

No one talked about , Province
No one talked about , Language

The MANDATE was clear ... resign you outlived your stay .. resign and accept your failure


We have seen in Tunis
We have seen in Egypt
We have seen in Libya

When army gets involved with people its normally not a good thing

And we must thank Pakistan Army for their Professional caretaking of people.
The are a professional institue , and unfortunately , Government has FAILED
and Protest is RIGHT of a common man

 

[Leader]

........

article written on request just to undermine the ability of the civil government to settle things at their own.... hah !

 

[tarrar]

Possibilities are endless but I don’t know what to say over here. My be Pak Army & the Intel agencies got involved to end the stand of but at the same time question arises that why Pak Army is allowing the corrupt Govt. to hurt Pakistan over & over again, we Pakistanis have entered a very delicate situation here thanks to the unlimited corruption of PPP & disloyalty to Pakistan.

So there is a question mark on Pak Army, why not just save Pakistan once again rather than allowing corrupt & incompetent politicians to worsen the situation every single day. Every single minute that is wasted is hurting Pakistan a lot, a lot.

 

[batmannow]

........

article written on request just to undermine the ability of the civil government to settle things at their own.... hah !

Guss, another JH dialoge ?lol
Army is bad, mein nahi manta?
I guss, you don't know who got the money from ISI?
& guss you don't know why NS kicked him out? Cause he was playing the same devil, advocate role in PMLn too?lol
Yes you couldn't see, no civil govt could hve stopped long march of NS with a phonecall too?
& credibility of this fedrl govt?lol lol lol

Possibilities are endless but I don’t know what to say over here. My be Pak Army & the Intel agencies got involved to end the stand of but at the same time question arises that why Pak Army is allowing the corrupt Govt. to hurt Pakistan over & over again, we Pakistanis have entered a very delicate situation here thanks to the unlimited corruption of PPP & disloyalty to Pakistan.

So there is a question mark on Pak Army, why not just save Pakistan once again rather than allowing corrupt & incompetent politicians to worsen the situation every single day. Every single minute that is wasted is hurting Pakistan a lot, a lot.

Let the fools enjoy their time, & let the fools try their damocrazy to the highest levels?
Punishment will be announced on time?
Which isn't so far?lol

 

[Asian.Century]

Long March, Army and National Interest
Date: 20 Jan 2013

By Sajjad Shaukat

After signing of the Islamabad Long March Declaration by the representatives of the coalition government and Dr Muhammad Tahirul Qadri, the chief of Tehrik-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran (TMQ) and�Pakistan�Awami Tehrik (PAT) on January 17, this year, the five days episode was ended, which started from Lahore on January 13, and continued at the D-Chowk of the federal Capital where thousands of persons continued the sit-in for the implementation of Dr Qadri’s demands.

The agreement includes the dissolution of the National Assembly before March 16, 2013 so that elections can be held within 90 days; one month will be given for scrutiny of nomination papers for the purpose of pre-clearance of the candidates. No candidate would be allowed to start the election campaign until pre-clearance, and in consultation with Pakistan Awami Tehreek, names of two honest and impartial persons for appointment as caretaker prime minister will be chosen. While, issue of composition of the Election Commission of Pakistan will be discussed at the next meeting on January 27, 2013 at the Minhaj-ul-Quran Secretariat, Lahore.

Different interpretations are being given to the understanding reached between the two parties. Some political and religious leaders including media commentators describe it as a face saving-underhand deal as almost all the political parties like PPP, PML-N, M L-Q, ANP, Jamaat-e-Islami, (JI) and JUI-F condemned the long march and sit-in at Islamabad, while favouring the democratic setup and the coming process of general elections in the country. Even, chief of MQM, Altaf Hussain who decided to participate in the long march of Tehrik-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran, while favouring the demands of Dr Tahirul Qadri, withdrew his support. Similarly, PTI led by Imran Khan, which was considering on January 16 to join the sit-in organised by TMQ distanced itself.

Critics opine that Dr Tahirul Qadri failed in obtaining his real objectives, turning the capital’s Constitution Avenue into Egypt-style Tahrir Square, and had said that he would not abandon sit-in unless bringing a revolution against the control of parliament by the corrupt rulers who are responsible for load shedding of electricity, gas, price-hike, unemployment etc., forcing them to resign.

The government did not accept Dr Qadri’s electoral reforms except minor changes in the process. Aside from giving Qadri a voice in who leads the caretaker administration, the government also agreed to dissolve parliament before a scheduled date of March 16, though it did not specify a date. An announcement of an election date could come during a parliament session on January 21.

Nawaz Sharif of PML-N stated on January 18 that Dr Tahirul Qadri had rushed to Islamabad to save the state and topple the government, but escaped from the scene without completion of his so-called agenda. Moreover, many political leaders including PML-N have remarked that sudden return of Dr Tahirul Qadri, holder of Canadian nationality to Pakistan, after seven years and call for the long march near the forthcoming elections showed that he was working on foreign agenda to destabilise Pakistan.

Some political experts say that it is a good sign that the representatives of the ruling parties agreed to reforms which though do not as much concede to Qadri’s wishes, but they do allow for a smooth run up to the elections.

Although everyone has been viewing the outcome of long march and sit-in at Islamabad by Dr Tahirul Qadri’s party from his point of view, yet like the past, some internal entities of Pakistan misperceived that Pak Army was behind the long March of Dr Qadri.

Meanwhile, rumours started spreading about Martial Law when on January 15, the Supreme Court ordered the National Accountability Bureau to arrest all 16 people including Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, accused of corruption in rental power projects in 2010.

In this regard, the human rights activists and the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jehangir who has always remained a vocal spoken against army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) illogically deduced on the same day, saying that the long march of Dr Tahirul Qadri and the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s order for the arrest of prime minister were not a coincidence, but a part of multiple planning—these developments which had been targeting the democracy and the rule of law, were aimed at bringing the army back into power. She added that lawyers’ community will resist any dictator. Besides, some analysts and newspapers were also misguiding the people that military was engineering a fourth coup behind the scenes.

Earlier, when the chief of TMQ, Dr Qadri had announced the long march and had given the deadline of January 10, 2013 to the federal government to fulfil his conditions, rumours were already spread by some hostile elements that Pak Army is covertly backing Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march. But, on January 2, 2012, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa categorically denied the speculation, linking Dr Tahirul Qadri to the military establishment.

Nevertheless, all these misperceptions proved untrue as Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani did not interfere in the long march, and during the four days sit-in by the supporters of Dr Qadri in Islamabad.

It is notable that many serious crises erupted in the country, but Gen. Ashfaq Kayani did not interfere and therefore, the present civil government completed its tenure.

Notably, while speaking about Memogate case, on December 22, 2011, the ex-Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, without naming army and ISI, presumed that conspiracies were being hatched to topple the democratically elected government. The opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N had also stated that Martial Law would not be accepted in the country.

In that backdrop, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani stated on December 23, “The Pakistan Army has and will continue to support democratic process in the country.”

It is mentionable that after the speeches of November 5, 2012 Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Gen. Kayani, a few segments of politics and electronic media had been manipulating their statements by indicating as if there was a clash between the judiciary and army. Some politicians hinted about Martial Law in the country. Although there was some difference in nature of their statements, yet central point of both army chief and chief justice was the same, as they asserted about the supremacy of the constitution, strengthening the institutions, rule of law, fundamental rights, realisation of forgetting mistakes of the past—and to take a fresh start for the protection and defence of the homeland. Nevertheless, without grasping realities, politicians have also manipulated every issue like the Memogate case, Mehrangate verdict, NRO scandal, missing persons of Balochistan, Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan case, military operation in Waziristan, incident of Malala Yousafzai etc., not only to disrepute country’s key security intuitions, but also against each other so as to misguide the common men to increase their voting lists.

No doubt during every crisis, by leaving the past practice, Pak army, under the leadership of its present head, has desisted from any kind of adventurism.

While, on June 9, 2011, by stressing upon national unity, Gen. Kayani, especially explained, “any effort to create divisions between important institutions of the country was not in national interest…this is an effort to drive a wedge between the army, different organs of the state and more seriously, the people of Pakistan whose support the army has always considered vital for its operations against terrorists.” Recently, he repeated similar views about media speculations of military operation in North Waziristan.

Particularly, on March 6, 2008, Gen. Kayani had clearly remarked, “The army would stay out of the political process.” He is still acting upon the principle of non-intervention in political affairs. And during Qadri’s, long march, he remained firm on his stand.

At this critical hour, when Pakistan is facing multi-faceted crises in economic and social terms besides perennial wave of subversive activities in various cities as arranged by the foreign secret agencies, national interest demands a selfless unity among politicians, security forces, media and general masses so as to cope with internal and external challenges instead of long marches.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

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