Pakistan stares at another military coup

[Lions Of Punjab]

PAKISTAN STARES AT ANOTHER MILITARY COUP

Pakistan stares at another coup over Zakiur Lakhvi - Oneindia

There is trouble brewing big time in Pakistan. In the days to come one can expect a stand off between the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the military over the issue of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

While the military feels that the prime minister should not be buckling under international pressure on the Lakhvi issue, Sharif on the other hand wants to undertake a clean up act and is in no mood to listen.

Last week there was immense drama after the Islamabad High Court had ordered the release of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the 26/11 mastermind who is also the operations head of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. The Pakistan government which buckled under pressure from India and the United States of America issued an order which continued with his detention for another month.

A calm before the storm:

Intelligence Bureau officials who have been closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan say that there is a clear stand off between the government and the military. Nawaz Sharrif is no mood to listen to the army and the ISI which want Lakhvi out on jail and on the job immediately.

The ISI and the military have been pressurising Sharrif not to buckle under pressure and if this attitude continued, the situation in Pakistan could spin out of control. Sharrif during a meeting with the army chief and also the ISI head said that they want to show the world that they are battling terror especially in the aftermath of the Peshawar attack.

The army and the ISI however pointed out that by keeping Lakhvi under detention which they terms as illegally will not help the cause. In fact it could worsen the situation and hence Sharrif should take a tough call on the issue.

Lashkar could go astray:

The biggest worry for the ISI and the military is that the Lashkar which has been ever so loyal to them could spin out of control. There is a great deal of disgruntlement among the leaders of the Lashkar who feel that the democratically elected government is acting under pressure from two sworn enemies, the US and India.

Already the cadres have started to threaten a switch over of loyalties. The ISI and the army just cannot afford this situation as the Lashkar is today the only outfit which is completely remote controlled by them.

It was the military and the ISI which had threatened the government not to go ahead with the ban on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Pakistan had assured the world that the JuD which is the financial wing of the Lashkar was banned but in reality they never went ahead with it.

While the JuD issue managed to keep the Lashkar happy to a certain extent, the issue pertaining to Lakhvi is threatening to snow ball into a major crisis. This is for the third time that a court has ordered his release and the Pakistan government has not abided by it and instead issued a fresh detention order.

Lashkar needed for war in Afghanistan:

The ISI and the military has gone back and forth on the Afghanistan issue. They have alongside the so called Good Taliban and also the Al-Qaeda in the sub-continent. However the danger with these groups is that they cannot be trusted and could swing any way over a period of time.

Moreover, the ISI also has the headache of dealing with groups such as the Al-Khorasan and the Tehrik-e-Taliban which at no point in time would stand by Pakistan. In such a scenario for the ISI the Lashkar is the best bet. The Lashkar could unite several groups and at no point in time will they go against Pakistan.

This is being used heavily as a bargaining chip by the Lashkar leaders who want Lakhvi to be released immediately. Moreover in Afghanistan the turf war is not going to be an easy one.

The Lashkar would require its master commander or the imam of Jihadis-Lakhvi to lead the pack. Without him the Lashkar appears directionless and the ISI too is aware of this situation which is why they are pushing for his release.

Officials in India say that these are dangerous times and Sharrif would have to find a way to deal with it. He needs to sort out the issue or there is a good chance of him facing another coup as the battle for Afghanistan intensifies.

 

[sorcerer]

NO way Sheriff is going to get on an airplane anytime soon for foreign visit ..

 

[Blackwater]

does not make any difference???


Even today its pak army who is in control of jahil land, financially and politically

 

[Rowdy]

LOL ... bechara Sharif .....

 

[warrior monk]

They don't need the coup soft or hard the military already controls the country plus this democracy nautanki is just to throw dirt over the eyes of the Western countries , they will not do a coup because west will cut their funding they will be left with an empty begging bowl.

 

[warrior monk]

LOL ... bechara Sharif .....

Which Sharif... Raheel or Nawaz ??

 

[Virendra]

Same old boogeyman the PA of Pakistan (or Pakistan of PA?).
Seems like another windfall season of milking the west is around for Pakistan.
If it went like this for few more decades, either one of these two parties is going to end up destroying the other permanently.

 

[Sambha ka Boss]

I don't think Pakistan army would do a coup because Pakistan is in complete mess and Pakistani army would never want to take direct blames for the country's failure instead want the civilian government to take the blame, this is no more the peaceful time of 1998 and moreoever American pressure and their carrot and stick is another factor.

 

[Rowdy]

I don't think Pakistan army would do a coup because Pakistan is in complete mess and Pakistani army would never want to take direct blames for the country's failure instead want the civilian government to take the blame, this is no more the peaceful time of 1998 and moreoever American pressure and their carrot and stick is another factor.

The military has the sweet spot right now.....think about it ... they control all the important parts of government like foreign policy , intelligence etc. The however have none of the "boring" responsibilities like economy, governance and infrastructure. All that blame goes to Nawaz Sharif ..... lol in a sense he is like Manmohan singh .... all the responsibilities no power. Since Pakistanis lack the civic sense (for obvious reasons) to make a modern tolerant nation state , he is destined to get more blame for these things and the "sham" democracy will continue.

Which Sharif... Raheel or Nawaz ??

Nawaz ... I actually pity him. I don't doubt his hate for India .... even the PPP , the so called left liberals in Pak were Pro-state terrorism and who can forget the infamous "bleed india by a thousand cuts" line by "shaheed" Benazir Bhutto But I pity him for the quagmire he is stuck in. And now the Saudis want him to donate troops and Nukes which he can neither accept nor refuse for obvious reasons.

 

[Sambha ka Boss]

Which Sharif... Raheel or Nawaz ??

I believe Noora of Patwaris.

 

[Sylex21]

I don't think Pakistan army would do a coup because Pakistan is in complete mess and Pakistani army would never want to take direct blames for the country's failure instead want the civilian government to take the blame, this is no more the peaceful time of 1998 and moreoever American pressure and their carrot and stick is another factor.

You pretty much nailed in. They want to be seen as the Jesus Christ of Pakistan, that is Pakistan's own personal savior lol. The army will only step in when they can take all the credit and glory.

 

[GUNS-N- ROSES]

They don't need the coup soft or hard the military already controls the country plus this democracy nautanki is just to throw dirt over the eyes of the Western countries , they will not do a coup because west will cut their funding they will be left with an empty begging bowl.

Pakistani army has realised that that it is better to control from background rather than stay in front. that way u get to always be saviour of Pakistan. no accountability absolutely.

 

[mayfair]

TSP army is like Sonia Gandhi- all power no accountability. Why upset such a cozy arrangement?