Pot and kettle

In Pakistan,the revelation as truth of what was suspected all along may perhaps be more dangerous than the denials. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s outburst against the military on Thursday is no confirmation of an imminent military takeover. But two facts — that this was an unprecedented attack and that it came from Gilani — raise concerns. Gilani’s outburst came amidst the continuing “Memogate” drama,soon after President Asif Ali Zardari’s even more dramatic visit to Dubai ostensibly on medical grounds. For all its protestations,could Pakistan have undermined its “sovereignty” more?

Gilani said that it was “unacceptable” for the military to consider itself “a state within a state” and that “conspiracies” were afoot to “pack up” the civilian government. He asserted every institution in Pakistan is under civilian control,when the defence ministry had earlier told the supreme court that it had no “operational control” over the army and ISI. Should this be interpreted as a genuine warning to General Ashfaq Kayani? A veiled plea to the military to keep itself at bay? Or a message,at last,that the government is in serious danger? In any case,the conflict has been out in the open ever since the resignation of Husain Haqqani as ambassador to the United States. Gilani is not a PM of the popular stature of Nawaz Sharif or Benazir Bhutto. He is an “appointed” PM,a candidate of convenience. But when the candidate of convenience,never perceived to be strong,speaks out,some masks must be falling off.

The government is battling on two fronts — the military and the courts; the former pushing for a supreme court probe into Memogate,the latter embarking on an activism that is heightening tensions. Meanwhile,Gilani and Zardari are unpopular,with the economy in a shambles and the country ravaged by terror. Moreover,Zardari wasted the opportunity to get Nawaz Sharif on board to rein in the military earlier this year. Sharif,a longtime detractor of the military,has also sought a probe into Memogate. With the US out of Iraq and about to draw down in Afghanistan,uncertainty in Pakistan has increased several degrees. Did anyone think Pakistan couldn’t become any more dysfunctional?