Tag Archives: Yousaf Raza Gillani

Indian Army Chief vs Pak Army Chief – Who’s More Powerful?

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As India’s Army Chief General VK Singh walks out after years of service that ended up with an age row causing serious damages to his integrity, there is political chaos in our neighborhood that has always lived under the fear of military coup of his democratic government. The world is keenly watching over the developments in Pakistan, wondering if history will be repeated as rumors spread of another military coup in the making under Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan army, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Indian army chief had made this quite clear that it’s not for an extra year in office but for his honor and dignity that he is fighting. At the end of this prolonged battle between the government and the army chief which in fact has affected the morale of the army itself, it has learned that there is some kind of a compromise formula on the horizon as the General said that he has not though of taking recourse to legal action yet.
The history of Independent Pakistan has seen many military coups and the country has been under military rule for several decades – during 958 – 1971, 1977 – 1988, 1999 – 2008.
It was in 1958 the first military coup that rocked the Pakistani politics when its Pakistani President Major General Iskander Mirza decided to dismiss the country’s Constituent Assembly and the government of Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon. He appointed army commander-in-chief General Ayub Khan as the Chief martial law administrator who after thirteen years disposed Mirza and appointed himself President.

The latest of military overthrow was in the year of 1999 and this famous coup which is much familiar to the modern world was orchestrated the then army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf who foiled Sharif’s attempt to dismiss him after his return from Sri Lanka managed to rule the Muslim State from 1999 to 2008.

While the question of power can only seen in different contexts in India and Pakistan, unlike its arch rival, the India military has been kept under solid civilian control. On the other hand, Pakistan had always veered towards an authoritarian style of rule and thus paved way for decades of military rule in the country. Despite the fact that the country failed to protect its civilian interests by having a strong government elected by the people, it should be noted that armed forces are the only effective and successful modern institution in Pakistan as everything else – the police force, the government, the judiciary, the civil service etc – proved failures over the years.

Kayani, who was trained in different military schools in the United States, became the first ever ISI chief to become the army chief of the country in 2007.  Called the soldier’s soldier, Kayani’s apolitical and professional image often makes him the invisible centre-of-gravity. He turned down President Zardari’s proposal to sent ISI Chief to India to initiate talks after the 26/11 and there are many similar incidents to be cited to show his supremacy over the political class in Pakistan. While the power of army chief is can be said unlimited in Pakistan, the system continues to survive in its own peril.

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Singh-Gilani Declare ‘New Chapter’ in Ties

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India and Pakistan talked about writing “a new chapter” in their accident-prone ties, with Islamabad assuring New Delhi that the terrorists behind the Mumbai carnage, that virtually froze relations between the neighbours, will be brought to justice soon.

Meeting on the sidelines of the 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit here, the two leaders held delegation-level talks for around half an hour in a seaside beach cottage at the idyllic Shangri La resort hotel and followed it up with nearly 45 minutes of one-on-one talks.

With relations having languished since the cataclysmic 26/11 terror attacks nearly three years ago, the two sided agreed to push a host of initiatives, including the revival of the joint commission, a preferential trade agreement and liberal visa regime.

India conveyed to Pakistan the imperative need to punish perpetrators of 26/11 carnage and underlined that terror should not be allowed to spoil improving relations between them.

Pakistan promised to conclude the trial of the Mumbai terror accused in its custody and declared that Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 terrorist, should be hanged.

In a sign of the new spirit of mutual accommodation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani agreed to open a new chapter in ties and hoped the next round of talks will be “more productive and constructive.”

Coming out after their meeting, the two smiled and made brief statements before the media in which they virtually echoed each other in their desire to start a new phase in relations.

Describing Gilani as “man of peace,” Manmohan Singh said that the dialogue process, which the two countries resumed early this year, have yielded positive results, but stressed that “more needs to be done.

“We have decided that we will resume this dialogue with the expectation that all issues which have bedeviled the relations between our two countries will be discussed with all the sincerity that our two countries can bring to bear on these talks,” said Manmohan Singh.

Saying that “the destinies of people of India and Pakistan are very closely linked,” the prime minister stressed that “we have wasted lot of time in the past in acrimonious debates.

“The time has come to write a new chapter in the history of our relationship.” Saying that Gilani fully endorsed this view, he said that “the next round of talks should be far more productive, far more result-oriented in bringing the two countries closer to each other than ever before.”

Gilani, too, struck an upbeat note. “We had a good meeting”.

He said the next round of the talks would be “more constructive, more positive, and will open a new chapter in the history of both the countries.”

“We have very openly discussed all issues including all core issues. We have discussed, the Prime Minister and we have been very open,” he said while alluding to discussions on water, terror, Sir creek, Siachen glacier and Kashmir.

Saying that the two sides are “moving in a positive direction,” Gilani also assured that “all possible steps were being taken in the context of the joint fight against terror.”

Briefing reporters after the talks, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said that the prime minister conveyed that the period of “accusations and counter-accusations was behind us,” and stressed on key initiatives that emerged from the talks that included the revival of the joint commission and the signing of a visa agreement.

Building on positive momentum generated by Pakistan granting India Most Favoured Nation status, Mathai said the two countries are now planning to move towards a preferential trade agreement.

he two sides also decided to fast-track implementation of cross-border trade and confidence-building measures that were finalized in July. Commerce secretaries will meet Nov 14 in New Delhi. This will be followed by talks between home secretaries in December that will focus on terror and security-related issues. There is a plan to arrange a meeting between water secretaries as well to sort out shared river water disputes.

Manmohan Singh told Gilani that “it is imperative to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 attacks to justice”, said Mathai. The Pakistani side promised to bring the trial of the seven 26/11 terrorists who are in Pakistani custody to conclusion and pointed that the judicial commission, that will be visiting India soon, will positively impact the judicial process of bringing 26/11 perpetrators to justice.

In a surprisingly blunt assertion, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik declared that Ajmal Kasab is a non-state actor, a convicted terrorist and should be sent to the gallows.

“Kasab is a terrorist, a non-state actor who should go to gallows and his accomplices too,” said Malik.

By IANS

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Kasab Should Be Hanged: Rehman Malik

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Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted by an Indian court for the 26/11 Mumbai attack, is a terrorist and should be sent to the gallows, Pakistan‘s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said after delegation level talks between the two countries.

He said the Pakistani judicial commission looking into the terror attack would be coming to India soon and would positively impact the trial of those accused in the Mumbai terror attack.

Kasab Should Be Hanged: Rehman Malik

“The judicial commission has a limited mandate. They’ll be in India any time after we hear from the Indian side. They will submit the report after the visit which is going to give a positive impact to the judicial process (of 26/11),” Malik told reporters at the Shangri La Hotel.

Talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s Yousuf Raza Gilani were preceded by delegation level discussions between the two countries.

The judicial commission report, Malik said, would help plug the legal lacuna and move forward the trial of those accused in the Nov 26 Mumbai terror attack.

India had last week welcomed Pakistan’s decision to send a judicial commission to interview witnesses connected with the 26/11 terror probe.

“We look forward to the visit of the judicial commission,”Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had told reporters Nov 5.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik has conveyed to Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram that the Pakistani government would soon be sending the commission to take forward the process of bringing to justice the perpetrators and conspirators of the Mumbai carnage.

The commission is expected to record the statements of Mumbai Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule and investigating officer Ramesh Mahale, who had recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted of the terror attack.

Islamabad has contended that the charges against seven LeT militants, including its ‘operation commander’ Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who are currently lodged in a Pakistani jail, were based on Kasab’s statement and hence the magistrate and the investigating officer’s statements were necessary to furnish before the anti-terror court.

At least 166 people were killed in the 26/11 attack by 10 Pakistan-based terrorists in Mumbai.

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