The 11 May elections of the Pakistan National Assembly have been further plunged into a deeper crisis, with overzealous judicial activism causing the military establishment to rally around the former dictator Parvez Musharraf. According to agency reports from Islamabad, Pakistan’s former army chief Gen (retd) Mirza Aslam Beg said the army would not tolerate developments in the case of Musharraf after a ‘certain level’.
He was quoted by the Dawn newspaper as saying that certain quarters were encouraging lawyers to act against the former military ruler. ‘Certain elements laid a trap for Musharraf while he was abroad by giving him an impression through social media that Pakistan was waiting for him and he would be warmly welcomed on his return from self-exile,’ he said.
After Musharraf’s arrival in Pakistan last month, planned and coordinated efforts were made to ‘humiliate’ him and to provoke the military by dragging the institution into unnecessary litigation along with Musharraf, Beg said, adding that the ‘situation may turn dangerous’ if the lawyers continued to humiliate the former military chief and tried to drag the institution into the courts.
Lt Gen (retd) Jamshed Ayaz, an Islamabad-based defence analyst, is reported to have said that the military was closely monitoring the situation. At least nine corps commanders currently serving in the army were promoted during Musharraf’s regime, he pointed out. Ayaz claimed Musharraf still enjoys support within the army’s ranks and the incumbent chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, should ‘play a role’ to save Musharraf from further humiliation.
Shedding light in this context, Mathew Joseph C, associate professor of international studies at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia said, ‘Indirect threat is being held out by the military as they are facing flak from every quarter. Civilian establishment would not like to perpetuate crisis beyond a point, which may arise out of prosecution of Musharraf. Their priority is a peaceful election.’
Alok Bansal, senior fellow, Centre for Land and Warfare Studies commented, ‘Issuing an arrest warrant against a former military chief in Pakistan is a big development and it may have its impact.’
Faiz Ali Chishti, another retired general and president of the Ex-Servicemen’s Society, Pakistan, said he believed Musharraf has to face the courts in case he had done something wrong, but lawyers should not be allowed to treat him as a criminal before the judiciary arrives at a definitive verdict on the former president and military chief.
He was quoted by the Dawn newspaper as saying that certain quarters were encouraging lawyers to act against the former military ruler. ‘Certain elements laid a trap for Musharraf while he was abroad by giving him an impression through social media that Pakistan was waiting for him and he would be warmly welcomed on his return from self-exile,’ he said.
After Musharraf’s arrival in Pakistan last month, planned and coordinated efforts were made to ‘humiliate’ him and to provoke the military by dragging the institution into unnecessary litigation along with Musharraf, Beg said, adding that the ‘situation may turn dangerous’ if the lawyers continued to humiliate the former military chief and tried to drag the institution into the courts.
Lt Gen (retd) Jamshed Ayaz, an Islamabad-based defence analyst, is reported to have said that the military was closely monitoring the situation. At least nine corps commanders currently serving in the army were promoted during Musharraf’s regime, he pointed out. Ayaz claimed Musharraf still enjoys support within the army’s ranks and the incumbent chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, should ‘play a role’ to save Musharraf from further humiliation.
Shedding light in this context, Mathew Joseph C, associate professor of international studies at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia said, ‘Indirect threat is being held out by the military as they are facing flak from every quarter. Civilian establishment would not like to perpetuate crisis beyond a point, which may arise out of prosecution of Musharraf. Their priority is a peaceful election.’
Alok Bansal, senior fellow, Centre for Land and Warfare Studies commented, ‘Issuing an arrest warrant against a former military chief in Pakistan is a big development and it may have its impact.’
Faiz Ali Chishti, another retired general and president of the Ex-Servicemen’s Society, Pakistan, said he believed Musharraf has to face the courts in case he had done something wrong, but lawyers should not be allowed to treat him as a criminal before the judiciary arrives at a definitive verdict on the former president and military chief.