https://www.ft.com/content/fcc21fe0-d34c-11e7-8c9a-d9c0a5c8d5c9
Pakistan Islamist protests bolster army’s strength
Islamabad siege prompts deal that officials admit has humiliated civilian government
Islamist activists agree to end protest in Pakistan
Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and Kiran Stacey in New Delhi
Islamist protesters have called a halt to their three-week siege of the Pakistani capital, following a deal that officials admit has humiliated the civilian government and left the army in its strongest position for years. For nearly a month, activists protesting a perceived slight against Islam have blockaded a main road linking Islamabad with neighbouring Rawalpindi, bringing the capital almost to a halt.
After a weekend of violence, the crowds were persuaded to go home on Monday after
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, head of the army, intervened to broker a truce with the government. The move underlined how Pakistan’s powerful army, which has run the country for almost half of its 70 years as an independent state, is once more gaining the upper hand over the civilian government.
One retired general told the FT:
“It became clear . . . that if anyone was to end this dispute it would have to be the army. The government mishandled this situation. The army finally rescued the prime minister.” A senior government official said:
“The government stands defeated, the protesters have won. Now we must consider the consequences for the future of Pakistan.”
The protests started after a reference to the Prophet Mohammed was omitted from a constitutional bill in parliament. The government said the omission — subsequently corrected — was a clerical mistake, but Islamists claimed it was a conspiracy against religious values. What had been a peaceful blockade turned violent over the weekend when riot police firing tear gas clashed with demonstrators, who were armed with sticks and stones. The clashes led to five people being killed, including one policeman, and prompted the government to shut down private television stations and social media platforms.
Gen Bajwa met Pakistan’s prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday, where according to officials he made it clear that the army would not use force to restore order. Instead, Mr Abbasi agreed to concede to one of the protesters’ main demands by removing law minister Zahid Hamid as well as withdrawing a two-day ban on Pakistani news channels.
By Monday morning,
the leaders of the protest had signed a formal agreement to stand down, in which they thanked Gen Bajwa, “whose special efforts helped to put the agreement together and averted a major disaster for the nation”. Another signatory is Major General Faiz Hameed, head of the counter-intelligence division at the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), further underlining the military’s role in brokering the agreement.
This summer, Nawaz Sharif was ousted as prime minister following a supreme court ruling that he was unable to explain the sources of his wealth and therefore unfit for office.
Many close to Mr Sharif saw the army as influential in that decision, pointing to the role of two brigadiers in an investigative panel that reported to the court. Since replacing Mr Sharif, Mr Abbasi has endured a difficult few months both at home, where his finance minister Ishaq Dar has been issued with an arrest warrant, and abroad, with the country’s relationship with the US coming under strain. He has also been criticised for not standing up to Islamist organisations, for example by recently releasing Hafiz Saeed, who has been accused of masterminding the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.
Many commentators say Mr Abbasi’s inability to prevent the street protests or stop them once they turned violent further undermined both his and his government’s position. Ikram Sehgal, a commentator on defence and security, said:
“The reality is that the government is completely incapable of running Pakistan. How can you expect a government which could not manage a protest to manage Pakistan?”
Meanwhile,
some in the business community have started to talk openly of their wish for the government to cede ground to the military. “People in the business community think that with the politicians unable to get their act together, at least there is one relatively solid institution,” said Ehsan Malik, chief executive of the Pakistan Business Council.
Most observers for now discount the possibility of a full military coup, pointing out that the army enjoys considerable power without having to face the scrutiny or international criticism that would come with running the government. "There is no threat of a military takeover in Pakistan,” said Nadeem Malik, a veteran Pakistani journalist. “What happened was that the executive ran away from this situation and there was space which someone had to occupy.” Ehsan Malik added:
“The army knows that a direct military government would not be likely to gain acceptance. But Gen Bajwa does not need to be in charge — he can influence policy behind the scenes.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2017. All rights reserved.
