US and the Pak Army: the mirage of civilian control

One is a power struggle, very unequal, between President Asif Ali Zardari who has been elected to run the country but has no room because Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has been so 'thoroughly professional' about sustaining Army's hold on the reins of power. In attacking the Kerry-Lugar bill, the Army is trying to further diminish Zardari.

The other is an argument between Gen. Kayani and the Obama Administration. In mobilizing the public anger against the US aid package, Gen. Kayani's message to Washington is straightforward: 'don't expect me to do your bidding in Afghanistan while you undercut my institutional legitimacy at home'.

Don't hold your breath, even for a moment, on who the winner might be. The Army will prevail on both issues as the Obama Administration will find ways to mollify Gen. Kayani in the next few days. After all, it is not Zardari who is ordering the Pak troops into Waziristan, but Gen. Kayani.

As America squirms but complies with the fact that it needs Kayani more than Zardari, Pakistan's core organizing principle will be reaffirmed: it is the Army that owns the nation. When there is deafening noise about 'sovereignty' next door, India should not forget that it is all about the Army's right to rule over the Pakistani people.

Shared from Indian Express via AddThis