Pak Army be involved in solving Indo-Pak disputes: Schaffer

[fatman17]

Pak Army be involved in solving Indo-Pak disputes: Schaffer

* CSIS director says disputes world’s biggest unresolved issues for US policymakers

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: A former United States official on Friday expressed the need to involve the Pakistan Army in resolving the country’s dispute with India.

Participating in a discussion, former US deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia Teresita Schaffer said she, however, did not foresee any breakthrough in India-Pakistan relations in the near future, as “Islamabad is weak and India is going to general elections”.

Saying that one of the disadvantages of the civilian government in Pakistan was its army being a separate actor, Schaffer suggested the Pakistan Army would have to be taken along in some fashion to solve India-Pakistan disputes. “It is a big political challenge,” she said, initiating a roundtable discussion entitled “India and US: What Lies Ahead” at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Schaffer, now the programme director for South Asia at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said policymakers in the US saw India-Pakistan disputes as the world’s biggest unresolved issues, and Kashmir as part of the problem. She described managing Pakistan as one of the challenges of the Obama administration.

Schaffer said the US government would be ‘very supportive’ in helping solving the problems between India and Pakistan, and “if nothing happens, it will be nervous about it”.

Stating that the new US administration was taking relations with India very seriously, and India could expect a more open policy, Schaffer said President Obama would bring new dynamics at the United Nations.

The official said she believed the negative US attitude would not continue forever, but did not foresee ‘dramatic changes’ in the short term.

She said the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) had agreed to consult India over the export guidelines, and hoped for “some kind of a new set of arrangements”. She suggested that the US should develop “techniques and vocabularies to deal with India’s strategic autonomy and its wariness about getting too close to the US in policy terms”.

 

[metalfalcon]

No need for this, It will only help the Indian Claim that, Pakistan is run by Army and Agencies Like ISI.

Help our Democracy and give them Power, Acts like This will only Give Power to Pak Army and there can be another coup in Pakistan.

 

[fatman17]

No need for this, It will only help the Indian Claim that, Pakistan is run by Army and Agencies Like ISI.

Help our Democracy and give them Power, Acts like This will only Give Power to Pak Army and there can be another coup in Pakistan.

i believe what the writer is suggesting is to take the military into confidence if and when pakistan reaches that stage of settling the kashmir dispute. any concessions for eg. giving up our right on siachen glacier without consulting the army high command would be foolish in my opinion. it cannot be a 100% civilian decision. the indian govt. has also taken the "opinion" of the indian military on any settlement of the siachen glacier issue and i am quite sure their opinion carried a lot of weightage.

 

[metalfalcon]

i believe what the writer is suggesting is to take the military into confidence if and when pakistan reaches that stage of settling the kashmir dispute. any concessions for eg. giving up our right on siachen glacier without consulting the army high command would be foolish in my opinion. it cannot be a 100% civilian decision. the indian govt. has also taken the "opinion" of the indian military on any settlement of the siachen glacier issue and i am quite sure their opinion carried a lot of weightage.

Yes its correct, Civilian Govt must always CONSULT the military Leadership before taking any Step and Indian Govt does the same, Any Step in Pakistan taken by Military or Civilian Govt without Mutual Consultation will Eventually result in something Like Kargil.

 

[qsaark]

Problem is, most foolish steps have actually been taken by the military regimes such as membership of CEATO/ CENTO, Indus Water Treaty, Operation Gibraltar, Pakistan's involvement in Afghanistan, Kargil etc. I am not saying that we should not involve military in making bold decisions. Especially now when we are run by a party that has been considered (and right so) a security risk and a President who is a known criminal.

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan Army chiefs vow to back government

By Fasihur Rehman Khan, Correspondent

Published: February 01, 2009, 22:57


Islamabad: The powerful committee comprising the three armed forces chiefs of Pakistan has announced its support for government efforts to create a national consensus in the wake of internal and external threats.

The committee has also reviewed the situation on the border with India.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee comprises Army, Air Force and Navy Chiefs and is headed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The committee oversees the overall security situation as well as matters related to the three forces. The chairman, who is also a four-star general, is also responsible for the country's nuclear and missile arsenal.

This meeting of the Committee gains significance as Pakistan is officially responding to India regarding the Mumbai attack probe conducted by its agencies. Internally, analysts say, the clash between PPP which rules central government, and PML-N, that rules the biggest and most populous Punjab province, in the wake of planned lawyers' long march is also a matter of concern for the armed forces of the country.

In case there is a clash between protesting lawyers and PPP government on March 9 when the lawyers want to stage a sit in at the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad and cripple the government functioning, the role of the armed forces and their support to civil armed forces like police will be crucial.

To what extent will the military go to aid of the civilian government in such an eventuality is a big question in Pakistan these days, analysts believe.

The armed forces still wield a lot of influence in Pakistan as they directly ruled the country more than 30 years of the total 62 years of existence of Pakistan.

Saturday's meeting of the Committee was chaired by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid, and attended by Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, Air chief Tanvir Mahmoud Ahmad, Navy Chief Admiral Nauman Bashir, Secretary Defence, Director General ISI, Ahmad Shujaa Pasha, and DG Strategic Planning Division.

 

[satishkumarcsc]

Yes its correct, Civilian Govt must always CONSULT the military Leadership before taking any Step and Indian Govt does the same, Any Step in Pakistan taken by Military or Civilian Govt without Mutual Consultation will Eventually result in something Like Kargil.

But in a Democracy it is the military that must obey the orders given by the civilian government, Right? Wont there be an undermining of the government if they have to "consult" the Armed forces?

 

[fatman17]

But in a Democracy it is the military that must obey the orders given by the civilian government, Right? Wont there be an undermining of the government if they have to "consult" the Armed forces?

taking opinion of the military is not undermining the govt. as long as the army understands its role!

 

[metalfalcon]

But in a Democracy it is the military that must obey the orders given by the civilian government, Right? Wont there be an undermining of the government if they have to "consult" the Armed forces?

India is the world's biggest democracy (as claimed by you) Right, Then how many Times did Manmohan Singh Consulted Services Chief after 26/11. Why was your Chief of Armed Staff Giving a Press conference.

Your Own Ex General admitted on NDTV that when Indian PM Vajpayee was going to Lahore to meet his Pakistani Counter Part Nawaz sharif, I (Indian General) Told Mr Vajpayee don't you compromise our Land in your Negotiations and there should be no changes in Indian Kashmir.

So what do you say now. Its same everywhere, only in your case you hide the facts and cover everything with your slogan of Biggest democracy.

 

[satishkumarcsc]

India is the world's biggest democracy (as claimed by you) Right, Then how many Times did Manmohan Singh Consulted Services Chief after 26/11. Why was your Chief of Armed Staff Giving a Press conference.

Your Own Ex General admitted on NDTV that when Indian PM Vajpayee was going to Lahore to meet his Pakistani Counter Part Nawaz sharif, I (Indian General) Told Mr Vajpayee don't you compromise our Land in your Negotiations and there should be no changes in Indian Kashmir.

So what do you say now. Its same everywhere, only in your case you hide the facts and cover everything with your slogan of Biggest democracy.

I meant policy making and not military action. Kashmir is an issue that involves the elected government to take important decisions.