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Pakistan and its 'Topi Drama' | It is a term ordinary Pakistanis use to describe a theatrical production staged by the army to fool people into believing just about anything. You hear
of it often in Pakistan , more so in Islamabad where rumours and gossip are a
way of life. 'Topi Drama' literally means a drama enacted by those who wear the
beret. And, last week's events are being clubbed as just that, yet another attempt
to make people believe that a democracy is in place and decisions are taken by
a democratic government. Close on the heels of the three-year extension granted
to General Kayani as army chief came the announcement that the US Government had
decided to retain its ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, for an unspecified
period, even though, she had already spent four years in Islamabad. She could
well stay in the Pakistani capital till 2013, as long as the army chief. Where
does the writ of the US Government end, and, where does the Pakistan Government's
begin is a matter of speculation and gossip in Islamabad . The announcement of
General Kayani's extension for three more years as army chief of Pakistan came
over the weekend, but rumours of this bloodless coup of sorts had been doing the
rounds of Islamabad for long. The decision was ostensibly taken by the civilian
government to grant General Ashfaq Kayani the three-year extension, but the people
dismiss it as a 'Topi Drama'. It is well known that the 'General' was writing
his own orders. In the past two years, Kayani could have overthrown the elected
government and established martial law whenever he wanted like his predecessor
General Pervez Musharraf. General Musharraf had dismissed the Nawaz Sharif government
on October 12, 1999 . Now, living in self-imposed exile in London , the former
president called General Kayani over the weekend and congratulated him, saying
that Kayani's contribution as army chief would be beneficial for national integrity
and Pakistan 's stability. Kayani's continuation is supposedly to give continuity
and stability to Pakistan 's war against terror. That it is close to 9-10 years
since this war has been going on, and that it shows no signs of ending of course
is not the point. Defending the extension given to Kayani, Prime Minister Yusuf
Raza Gilani said: "The term of the Prime Minister is until 2013, the term of President
is also until 2013, the chief justice will also stay in his seat through that
period, and we also extended the service of the chief of army staff through that
period." Kayani's supporters -- General David Petraeus, NATO Secretary General
Anders Gogh Rasmussen and the slightly reluctant US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton -- had come and blessed the extension orders. More 'Topi Drama'. India
has no illusions about who wields power in Pakistan . While endless debates in
the media continue about the futility of India talking to an elected government
in Pakistan when, the decision making in that country rests with the army, the
fact is that Indian foreign service officials who deal with Pakistan know it is
one and the same thing. When they talk with the Pakistan Government, they are
actually talking to the army, but using a via media. The India policy in Pakistan
is directed and driven by the GHQ (General Head Quarters) in Rawalpindi . That
has always been the case. Whenever any Prime Minister has tried to script the
policy on his own, as did Nawaz Sharif, he has had to pay a heavy price for it.
Sharif lost his job. Continuity to the India Policy and now to the terror war
is only provided by the army. Imtiaz Alam, the editor of South Asian Journal writes
"As compared to 12 Pakistani army chiefs who had on average over five years of
tenure and four military rulers who ruled on average for over eight years, Pakistan
had 16 prime ministers whose average tenure did not last two years. This shows
a precarious equation of civil-military relations that did not let democracy and
constitutional rule work." Kayani is irreplaceable for the Americans at this stage.
2010 is crucial as it sets the stage for the imminent withdrawal of American forces
from Afghanistan . But before that happens, it needs Pakistan 's support to achieve
its goals in Afghanistan . Pakistan is "at the heart" of the search for peace
and stability in Southern Asia said Richard Holbrooke, America's special envoy
to Afghanistan and Pakistan in London last week. It ought to be clear to India
, that to the US from now till 2011, South Asia means just Af-Pak. India is peripheral
to the problem and the solution. |
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