Wild dreams of a 'Colonels' Coup' in Pakistan

[King Solomon]

Brigadier (R) Farooq Hameed Khan

In the aftermath of the Abbottabad and Mehran fiascos, the American and British media spearheaded a well coordinated vilification campaign against the Pak Army and ISI. A wave of articles and reports from Washington, New York and London churn out plenty of disinformation against them almost on a daily basis.

The Americans seem desperate to isolate and malign the Pak Army and ISI because these institutions stand as the biggest hurdles in the CIA’s evil designs against Pakistan’s nuclear programme; resist uncontrolled America’s penetration in the nation; fight Indo-US nexus aimed to create anarchy and lawlessness on our soil, and finally because Army Chief General Kayani and DG ISI General Pasha refused to bow to US dictates and appear determined not to compromise the country’s supreme interests. So, USA’s plan to destabilise the military and weaken Pakistan, in collusion with the international media and certain quarters of the Pakistani intelligentsia media and a few politicians, has manifested on multiple fronts.

By lowering the army’s image as the country’s saviour that was at its peak after the 2010 floods, a sense of insecurity amongst the masses and the civil-military divide are being promoted. This is being done by propagating the themes, that the army and ISI are incapable of safeguarding the nuclear and strategic assets, the military gobbles a big chunk of the country’s budget leaving less for social sector development and military officers are enjoying undue perks and privileges, while the common Pakistanis suffer economic hardships.

In the same vein, the main purpose in driving a wedge between the senior and junior army leadership is to strike at the roots of its internal unity and cohesion. This is being done through the media hype that disgruntled middle ranking or junior army officers could lead to a colonels’ coup, that the Generals live a luxurious life, that the senior leadership is heavily pro-US and that failure of top military leadership has caused unprecedented loss to the army’s prestige after Abbottabad.

Another mischievous theme relates to the possibility of lower ranking officers, and men with pro-Islamic leanings within the army /ISI, gaining access to the nuclear arsenal. In this context, Fareed Zakaria, the sworn Pakistan hater, in his recent article, The radicalisation of Pakistan’s military, in The Washington Post on June 22, 2011 grossly lies: “But the evidence is now overwhelming that it (Pak Army) has been infiltrated at all levels by ‘violent’ Islamists, including Taliban and Al-Qaeda sympathisers.” General Kayani, too, has been directly targeted by highlighting his extension issue and spreading rumours that he is “fighting for survival”, and resisting pressures from his Corps Commanders to step down.

Is a colonels’ coup a possibility? Can it succeed? What the US and its ‘anti-army/ISI’ collaborators fail to understand is that a colonels’ coup or a revolt by middle/junior ranking officers is against the military’s character or mindset. Such a coup may be an accepted norm in militaries of Banana Republics or some African countries. However, our military’s command structure and professional environment does not encourage or support such a misadventure. Our officers pursue career advancement as a fulfilment of their dream goals in life.

With its institutional depth , a well knit intelligence infrastructure and an effective feedback mechanism from military units and formations, any kind of 'cribbing' or collective ‘concerns’ in a 500,000 plus army, at any level are well pre-empted with systemic corrections. In an army with over 20,000 officers, dispersed all over the country, few young officers could rarely muster confidence and initiative to indulge in this sort of an activity, fully aware of the dangerous repercussions.

It is natural that like the nation, the military personnel would also be affected by the overall sense of anger and despair after the Abbottabad and Mehran humiliations. Yet, the strength of our military system lies in its resilience, its ability to fight back and restore the lost credibility in the shortest possible time. Recent successful army and air force actions that repulsed armed incursions in Dir by the Afghan militants indicate that the military’s will to defend the country against internal and external threats remains unshaken by May events. In their obsession to cut Pakistan’s army and ISI to size, the Americans seem to underestimate the capabilities and resilience of these institutions. Both the Soviet Union and USA failed to break the Afghan spirit. The Pakistan spirit, too, is unbreakable. A colonels’ coup will remain a dream.

The writer is a retired Brigadier of the Pakistan Army

Source: The Nation (Pakistan)