I am no expert. But for accountability, Kargil come to mind.
Nawaz Sharif was given a briefing by the army on the Kashmir issue on March 1999, which probably was the one where the Kargil Plan was discussed. A specific briefing on the Kargil Plan was given in the second week of March 1999, where Nawaz granted formal approval of the plan. Nawaz came to hear the Kargil presentation accompanied by the former CGS who was Nawaz’s secretary of defense!!
Repeated coups come to mind.
when did those coups take place? what were the circumstances? And did these coups involve people terrified in their homes as M113s with manned guns clogged the streets?
it involved national celebration........for a reason. Is it right and is it the only way out? Well i have my own views about it as do many, let history judge. Was it necessary at the time? Unfortunately, yes. We often find ourselves in a "lose little or lose big" scenario (thanks to these useless politicians who never cease to amaze me with their incompetence and lust for power -at nation's expense)
Meddling in the affairs of the govt and accusing the govt for the failures comes to mind.
so now Army is a villain and govt. was a saviour to Pakistan. Blessings and sympathy be showered upon them
How many heads rolled? Who was punished for those follies?
no heads rolled because the people themselves supported Army intervention (at the time)
looking to today, i dont think it would ever be possible again unless things were to get to a point of no return. .
The fact that PA's budget is NOT debated and the PA is NOT answerable to the civilian govt (although constitutionally it does) comes to mind.
Pakistan’s Defence Budget: Cloaked in Secrecy
The budget is so cloaked in "secrecy" that the VERY ARTICLE which you posted clearly states that:
However, in a departure from the norm, the budget for 2011-12 gives a breakdown of what used to be a one-line budget provision. The total amount allocated to Defence Affairs and Services is Rs495 billion, which is 32% of the net revenue receipts of the federal government, after providing for the provincial share. Foreign debt repayment and interest on domestic debt takes away another 67%........
The breakdown of the defence budget for 2011-2012 is as follows. Employee salaries: Rs206 billion; operating expenses: Rs128 billion; physical assets: Rs117 billion; and civil works: Rs42 billion. During Musharraf’s tenure, the pension for retired army personnel was shifted to the civilian budget. It was close to Rs27 billion then, but according to estimates, it must have increased significantly by now. The defence establishment can claim that the increase of their share in the new budget is only 11.48%, which is below the average 14% inflation in the last year.
hilariously enough, the author of the same article states that
There is lot of fat in the defence budget that can be cut with the resources diverted to health and education.
and he has the gall to "forget" that (as was the case with the Engineers Corps) the PA also has the Medical Corps (consisting of both male and female medics) who were also active during the natural (and man-made) disasters.
Where the civilian govt. failed to make its presence heard or felt ---modest and proactive men and women in uniform were serving night and day @ Combined Mil. Hospitals (CMHs); establishment of temporary "health/relief centers" etc. in areas that are remote and difficult to reach. Actually, the evidence is even here on this forum for you to see.
(I could go off on a tangent about PA's role in overseas peace-keeping missions as well -given that its the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping forces....these missions are recognized by the international community and those that are 'privy' or willing to see the larger, real picture)
Talk to Xeric about Army's contribution towards education as I am not privy to the details at all.....(he is much more knowledgeable on it)
I wonder when this thick-head author would mention the OBNOXIOUS size of PPP delegations during their regular (state-funded) trips to Washington, Dubai headquarters, London headquarters, etc.
The fact that foreign policy is dictated by the army and not the civilian govt is an indicator how powerful and meddlesome the army is.
if what you say is true, then I am glad the Army has a say in the foreign policy matters. . . otherwise we'd be having more Raymond Davis's going rambo on Pakistani civilians in broad daylight; there'd be more embassy vehicles running down pedestrians, and more diplomatic cars (carrying illegal weapons) defying ORDERS to stop by the police forces even in the Federal Capital!
enough said!
A part of the US armed forces. Under civilian control.
Obama and those guys @ state department have very loose control over Pentagon/Langley
in fact, the fissures and tension between them is being exposed. . . Put a rep from Pentagon, USAid, State Dept. regional desk/bearu and a few education/development consultants all in the same room. Watch the fireworks, finger pointing and loud voices and fists banging on the tables.
p.s. The Finance Minister of Pakistan (a civilian) justified the increase in the defence budget --after it was discussed in Parliament of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, DG-ISPR also had some things to say regarding the $5 billion to the army’s budget in the current fiscal year
“That’s the equivalent of 16 percent of the state’s budget,” said Athar.
Asked if the percentage figure would increase in the next fiscal year, Athar said: “Hopefully not because for about five years, the military budget remained at between 13 percent and 14 percent. “It was increased only this year because of the environment of security, and a lot of things that were required by the paramilitary forces in particular. I don’t see the military expenditure taking in more than $5 billion (in the next fiscal year),” he added.
Funds allocated by the government to the Pakistani army still represent a “very small amount”, he said. “There is a lot of scope for enhancing the revenues of the government. If they go up by 70 or 80 percent the military budget will boil down to 10 percent,” Athar said.
The state increased by close to 12 percent the budget for the military in 2011-2012, in what analysts link to an annual inflation rate that hovers around 13 percent.
Pakistan aims to cut military budget: ISPR
lol
was an hourly routine for them.....'tending' to that would be far more productive than talking (yapping) out of the very same bodily crevices that see passage of the pungent liquid matter.
)
