There had been media speculation that the army chief, General Raheel Sharif’s tenure of service would be extended, until he rubbished all the reports by stating that he was not interested in getting an extension. He, however, reiterated his resolve that he would go to any extent in his relentless effort to eliminate terrorism from the country.
General Raheel Sharif is one amongst the army chiefs who stands tall and is being lauded by all, across-the-board, for his principled stand, as well as his leadership role in extirpating terrorism. The launching of the comprehensive operation Zarb-e-Azb and gains achieved therefrom, have brought about highly positive and productive results. The achievements have not only helped garner support of the international community, but also resulted in forging unity and bringing consensus at home, though there is a lot more to be done as yet.
The Zarb-e-Azb operation was launched in June 2014, which has succeeded in eliminating around 3,500 terrorists. Over 1,000 terrorist hideouts have been destroyed while huge piles of arms and ammunition have been captured. According to latest figures released to the press, 2,763 terrorists have been killed and 1,000 arrested during the last one year. Overall, a 90 percent of the North Waziristan area has been cleared, while the remaining 10 percent is calculated to come into the mainstream administration very soon. Amongst the 30,000 personnel taking part in this large-scale operation, 347 have embraced martyrdom while 947 have been wounded.
Under the leadership of General Raheel Sharif the Armed Forces of Pakistan have set an unprecedented record of professionalism, sacrifice and bravery. Sharif’s action, without discriminating between “good” or “bad” Taliban or other affiliated terrorist groups, including that of the Haqqani network, has won universal appreciation. Terrorists are terrorists be it the Tehrik-e-Taliban, and its affiliates or offshoots, the Baloch groups, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), the Haqqani Network, the Punjabi Taliban, Uzbek Taliban, Chechen Taliban, Utahur Taliban or whatever. That’s why with the 9,000 intelligence operations conducted so far, 218 wanted terrorists have been killed while thousands arrested are undergoing interrogation and trials in the ATCs as well as military courts.
General Raheel Sharif’s announcement of taking no extension in his service tenure represents the strength of not only the mother institutions he belongs to, but the democratic institutions of the country. One cannot undermine the significance of accomplishments as well as the successes and achievements the General made during his tenure. Being the army chief, he has earned laurels for turning the tide of terrorism when it was threatening to engulf the whole country from Karachi to Khyber. Pakistan shows that war on terror is just not an abstract ideal; it is a living and vibrant reality. Calls for extension for the COAS are a common theme in the public. He has been able to play an important public role reminding the terrorists of the army not compromising on its duty, and going on with the operation with full courage and vigour. General Raheel’s tenure has actually made the public change their view; when he assumed office he faced the challenge of militant politics and terrorism and won support from the masses from Karachi and the Northern Areas. Incontrovertibly, the General has been able to win hearts and minds and has become a popular figure in the public.
There is always a difference of opinion, and some political leaders are looking out for their own interests, trying to defame the efforts and achievements the armed forces made in fighting terrorism and defending the country. There will always be some political leaders with their own interests portraying everything as fine, with having their own agenda set. The main thing that we should recognize is that whether General Raheel Sharif remains, or not, the fight against terrorism will go on in this regard we should not forget about the achievements made by the Pak Army. We need to follow the rules and regulations according to army law and keep the command structure intact.
Our civil government needs to understand that it cannot make any changes in the power structure of the armed forces and if the post of CJSCS is given to the current chief with same powers as suggested, it can disturb the structure and balance of power, it can also give a wrong precedence for the future. In my opinion, the offer that has been given to the army chief by the government, is quite lame because there cannot be two commands within the army. What are the other options that can make the General stay on? That is to make him the field marshal as it was done in Ayub Khan’s era and the other option is to make him the commander of a unified combatant command like Centcom.
We should learn from the past regarding civil-military relations and try to be careful for whatever action we take. Rather, I feel it is too early to talk about it right now. We should be concerned about how to deal with terrorism as a whole and give courage and support to the armed forces. It is not only the duty of our armed forces to fight for a cause; all of us being a nation should come forward and play our part for whatever little we can do to bring the whole society to peace. We should fight for our cause; we should set an example for others to see that we support our armed forces in their fight against terrorism. The institution remains committed to its cause with or without the present army chief. By giving his decision, he has made it clear that the national interest is of paramount importance and will be defended at all cost. As a nation we should be united and stand behind our armed forces with confidence.
The reported offer given by the PM for an extension, focuses on his chance of seeking another tenure as PM. We should not forget that the institution stands bigger than any personality. No one is indispensible. General Raheel is determined to totally wipe out the terrorists by the end of his term. The apprehensions in our nation’s mind that if he goes, and another comes will the operation go on at full pace? As a people, it is up to us to take a strong, unified stand and ensure that the Pakistan army completes the task initiated by General Sharif.
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