Pak PMs never had cordial relations with military establishment
Jun 05, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 5 : The history of Pakistan has given ample evidence that no premier could complete their constitutionally mandated term and no army chief could maintain good relations with civilian rulers for long.
Islamic military dictator General Ziaul Haq in 1988 has sacked then Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo and dissolved parliament under the Eight Amendment - the constitutional provision which allowed the president to unilaterally dissolve assemblies and send elected governments packing.
Record says that several Prime Ministers of the country, have met the same fate and have raised their voice against the interference of the security establishment in the political domain as they believe they should have had complete authority when given the responsibility to serve the nation as its premier, The Express Tribune reported.
From former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to two-time ex-premier Benazir Bhutto and from the longest consecutive-term serving ex-Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to Jamali, everyone had a consensus that the military had a firm grip on every sphere of life, especially politics, even when they were not directly ruling the country.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan is the latest to join the anti-establishment camp. In a public gathering on Thursday, Imran said that the establishment says it is neutral, but people would still be looking in its direction as they know where the "power" lies.
Notably, having come to power after an intense political drama which saw the first no-confidence motion being successfully carried out in the country, the Shehbaz Sharif led coalition government seems to have developed serious differences with Pakistan's all-powerful military establishment.
Since its inception, the report said citing political experts, the new Pakistani government has been mulling about deciding the tenure of the government and the timeframe for the next elections but could not reach any decision as they do not have assurance from the military establishment that they would be able to complete a full term.
Apparently, the government is stuck between a rock and a hard place as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has already said that it cannot hold elections in the next few months and the military establishment wants the coalition government to go ahead with the fiscal measures without giving any assurance with regards to the duration of their government, the report said.