Bolting the memogate

Husain Haqqani finally quit as Pakistans ambassador to the US on Tuesday. His resignation was sought by Pakistans Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in an effort to put a lid on a controversy thats threatened to upend the fragile relations between the countrys military and its civilian government. Besides the fact of the existence of a memo,there is yet insufficient clarity on the memo an American-Pakistani businessman claims he had delivered to Mike Mullen,who was then chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff,asking assistance for Pakistans civilian leadership amidst fear of a military coup following the US raid on Osama bin Ladens Abbottabad safe house in May. Yet,what followed the businessmans claim and Haqqanis denial of involvement has raised concerns that this is not a simple change of personnel,with the liberal and affable Sherry Rehman replacing Haqqani,and that it could signal a reconfiguration of civilian-military ties to Rawalpindis advantage.

Memogate,as the controversy is called,is rife with far more questions than answers but its fallout has been the Pakistan armys success in asserting its image as the safe custodian of the national interest. The raid on bin Laden was deeply embarrassing for the army,both for the proof it gave of the worlds most wanted terrorist and the ease with which US soldiers intruded into Pakistani territory. The public perception being created now of a civilian government open to secret,self-serving deals with Washington brings that episode full circle for the army. Interestingly,after 26/11 too,President Zardaris reported willingness to send the ISI chief to Delhi was used by Rawalpindi to project India as the threat. Details are,of course,sparse but memogate does reinforce Zardaris unwillingness,even inability,to effectively contest the foreign policy space beyond a certain point unlike Benazir Bhutto or Nawaz Sharif.

With the deadline of the US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan framing the geopolitics of the subcontinents northwest,the internal balance of power in Pakistan will be keenly tracked. For India,the episode will also reinforce concerns about the stability of the renewed movement in bilateral ties,especially on the trade front. Haqqanis exit may not be the last we hear about memogate.