The democratic, secular State model represented by Turkey in the Islamic world can be a good opportunity for the achievement of the West’s ideals and values in the world, but self-interest calculations of certain great powers complicate the matter. Below is an article by former Indian Ambassador Gajendra Singh on the role of the military in Turkey and Pakistan with the assessment and reservations of Pulse about the rulers of the latest interregnum in this country.
The “Chief Executive” of Pakistan since October 1999, Gen. Musharrav became President last week giving a sign that he may prolong his military rule in that country as long as he can.
A retired Indian ambassador, Gajendra Singh, who has been in Turkey for ten years, as a first secretary and ambassador, has written an article drawing a parallel between the new Pakistani military ruler and Gen. Kenan Evren, the leader of the 12 September 1980 coup in Turkey. It seems that Ambassador Singh tends to put President Evren in the same bag as any other military dictator along with Gen. Musharrav. Yet President Evren, despite some inevitable heavy-handed actions of any military rule, was neither a dictator nor did he fall into the pitfall of making his country pay undue tolls to the superpower behind the coup, Washington, in order to prolong his time in power. Excluding the Air Force Commander, Tahsin Sahinkaya, of the 5-member ruling military committee, all the four military rulers and their Prime Minister, Bulend Ulusu, served Turkey honourably and turned over power in dignity to the people elected as a result of free elections in November 1983 after having sorted out the mess of the pre-coup period when over 20 people used to be killed every day by terrorists.
It is a fact that all the three military interventions in Turkey in the post WW II period were machinations of the United States over its frustrations about turning Turkey into a strategic base, indeed a satellite, for its designs for this vitally important region and it is also the case for the military interventions in other countries such as Greece, Chile and especially Pakistan.
The Pulse editor thought and wrote at that time, however, that General Musharrav’s coup in October 1999 could somewhat be different as Washington was already getting all it wanted from Pakistan under the toppled Nawaz Shariff regime and that it had no incentive for such a military coup. The monster this cooperation had created, Taliban in Afghanistan, was going on in all its severity to stir up trouble for the newly independent Central Asian Islamic countries and General Musharraf with his declared admiration of Ataturk could be a good opportunity for the people of Pakistan to drop this archaic adventurous policy. Ambassador Singh did not share this assessment of Pulse at that time and the year and a half that has since gone by with Gen. Musharraf in power in Islamabad seems to confirm his outlook.
Nevertheless, the solution to the Islamic militancy symbolised by Taliban in Central Asia is gradually coming into existence to save the newly independent Turkic countries from this scourge with the appearance of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in recent weeks. What will be the impact of this new organisation on the future developments of Asia remains to be seen. It is also too early to make an assessment of Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India’s stances towards this development, but it can be said even now that any arrangement to fight the Taliban mentality and mischief is welcome. The following is Ambassador Singh’s article about the military rule in Pakistan.
GEN MUSHARRAF ANOINTS HIMSELF PRESIDENT A LA NAPOLEAN -
INSPIRED BY ATATURK, BUT FOLLOWS IN FOOTSTEPS OF 1980 TURKISH COUP LEADER
By Ambassador Gajendra Singh (Retd)
Guest writer
Not surprisingly, like Napolean, Gen. Pervez Musharraf has anointed himself President of Pakistan, while retaining the all powerful Army Chief post. A careful and calculating man, he seized the opportunity of an invitation for talks by Indian Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, prodded and blessed by USA. Although he had visited major Muslim countries and ally China, he felt that the moment was now ripe for the final step. He thus becomes the first Mohajir, albeit ultra -nationalist, head of state of Pakistan, since the Pathan leavened Punjabi elite muscled itself into power at new capital Islamabad in Punjab.
India might repaint the dilapidated haveli at the back of old Delhi's Golcha cinema, from where Musharraf and his family migrated after India's partition in 1947, but Pervez has more abiding and inspiring memories from his school days in Turkish capital Ankara where his father, a junior diplomat was posted in 1950s. Soon after the 12 October 1999 Coup, in his first press conference (also being televised to Turkey), speaking in Turkish, Musharraf idealised Kemal Ataturk and hoped to emulate him (the Jamait-i-Islami immediately expressed opposition to the secular ideology of Kemalism), but his role model so far remains Turkish General Kenan Evren who had carried out the 1980 Coup. So Ankara it was in November 1999, one of the earliest capitals he visited . Apart from refreshing memories and friendships, Musharraf was very keen to meet Gen Evren and had to be dissuaded.
During his one day Ankara visit, with counterpart military Chief absent, Pervez lunched with the Chief of Protocol, a schoolmate. But he was an unwelcome guest; for, after the coup Gen Evren had imprisoned and debarred from politics President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit (Prime Minster and leader of opposition respectively in 1980).The hosts were embarrassed and advised Musharraf to restore democracy at the earliest. Influential Turkish Daily News castigated his visit as "untimely and unnecessary so soon after grabbing power and jailing the elected Prime
Minister. Turks had concluded that coups had not solved Turkey's problems, on the contrary it had further complicated things". Later Ecevit who visited India in March 2000, declined Pakistani invitation.
On taking over, Musharraf first created a National Security Council (NSC) on Turkish pattern. His choice of advisers showed similarities with Gen Evren. But while the Turkish General's shrewd choice technocrat Turgut Ozal, (later Prime Minister and President) turned around Turkey's moribund economy through reforms and use of talented expatriates, Pakistan's economic plight remains precarious needing regular international bail outs. Gen Evren took a couple of years to sort out the mess, got a new Constitution approved by referendum, which also confirmed him as President and further institutionalized the role of the Armed Forces in politics. He remained in power for 9 years.
Musharraf exiled his discredited rival Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia last year and in spite of mistrial judgement on corruption, Benazir Bhutto has to stay out of Pakistan and husband Ali Zardari in jail, who is much too enmeshed in corruption cases like most politicians, who in spite of making some noises would fall in line. Gen Evren had closed political parties and debarred all discredited political leaders from politics. (Almost all
returned to politics by 1985 when the military returned to the barracks, which it always does.) The Turkish Armed Forces were forced to intervene in 1980, as the country was at the edge of an abyss, with over a thousand people having been killed in left-right violence in the previous 6 months. Demirel and Ecevit had literally abdicated their responsibility by refusing to even elect a President of the Republic for many months.
Prime Minister Sharif used his 2/3rd parliamentary majority (but only 30% electorate had voted) to bully the President, bend the higher judiciary to his will and challenged the military by forcing Gen. Musharraf's predecessor Gen Jahangir Karamat to resign. Politicians like Sharif and Bhuttos had the opportunity and political support to lay the foundations for democracy, but instead chose despotic ways to steamroller the institutions of check and balance.
Proposals to form a NSC in Pakistan on Turkish lines are not new. Gen Zia ul Haq had wanted to create one in 1980s but was dissuaded. President Farooq Leghari had even decreed one in Jan 1997, it was allowed to lapse after Sharif 's victory. In suggesting a NSC, with a say for the Armed Forces, Gen Karamat was only stating a political reality, which might lead to a more peaceful path towards democracy in Pakistan. In any case barring perhaps Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1972-77), after the military had been totally discredited in Bangla Desh war and even he did not dare reduce the defence expenditure, Pakistan Armed Forces have been de jure or de facto rulers for most of the time. In the 11 years between Gen Zia's death and Musharraf's takeover, Benazir and Sharif were eased in and out whenever they tried to cross the "Lakshman Rekha" ie interfere in military's autonomy and prerogatives or control of policy on nuclear arms, Kashmir and Foreign Affairs. Constantly squabbling with each other, they remained busy amassing
huge fortunes by corrupt means. Throughout the Cold War the so-called democracy in Pakistan was basically a Western media myth to put its ally on par with India. And the two Bhuttos' utterances against India made a jolly good copy.
Established after the 1960 Coup, Turkish NSC ,composed of military and civilian members, was strengthened following the 1971 and 1980 military interventions. Threats from the military members of NSC made Demirel resign in 1971 and the first ever Islamist Prime Minister Necemettin Erbakan in 1997, thus avoiding direct military takeovers. Chaired by the President the "representatives" of the army, navy, air force and the gendarmerie offer "recommendations" on internal and external security, which the Government must give priority. The Turkish Armed Forces enjoy total autonomy in their
affairs. Its Chief of General Staff (CGS) ranks after the Prime Minister. In Pakistan the position of the Army's CGS, originally based on the British colonial pattern but modified after 53 years experience is even more decisive and certainly more arbitrary. Perhaps there is some merit in legalising the de facto position of Pak Military and making its role more predictable and even accountable. But while Turkish Armed Forces, a bastion of secularism expel annually officers suspected of any Islamic proclivities, Pakistan's Armed Forces and its establishment have become islamised at lower and middle levels.
Since the 1960 coup, Turkish politicians have slowly worked out a modus vivendi with military leaders with incremental assertion of civilian supremacy. Since 1923, except President Celal Bayar (ousted in 1960 Coup), all Turkish Presidents were retired military chiefs. But first Ozal (1989 to 1993) and then Demirel (1993-2000) strengthened civilian ascendancy by getting themselves elected Presidents, but had to take note of the military's views in regular NSC meetings. Current President Necdet Sezer is a former head of the Supreme Court.
Benazir, perhaps one of the worst administrators in Pakistan's history, in 1996 played a seminal role in promoting the strangle hold of Jamait and other fanatic and terrorist groups, now proliferating in Pakistan. They are too deeply entrenched in Pak Armed Forces, with potential for violent implosion from within and explosion around Pakistan. Tacitly approved by USA and with support from Saudi Arabia, Pak created Talibans and other Jehadis now finance themselves by cultivation and export of opium (75% of world production) and heroin and over US$ 2 billion earnings from smuggling
across borders all around Afghanistan. Too many vested interests in and outside Pakistan especially the military benefit from this lucrative arrangement .
Since the last 50 years. Islamic Ummah is bestirring and awakening into strife and violence whose major fault lines cut a wide swathe from Atlantic to China. Islamic fundamentalism is going to be a major challenge of early 21st century, now in full bloom in Afghanistan-Pakistan , a vital and strategic center of the Islamic world . CIA/ISI trained, with arms worth many $ billions left behind, there are now over hundred thousand Mujahaddins from all over the Islamic world; Kashmir, Albania, Chechnya,
Xinjiang, Central Asia , Arab world and elsewhere, many treating their stay here akin to Hijra to Medina, hoping to return in triumph to Mecca ie their own countries. The intra Muslim and Muslim- non Muslim conflicts and the process of coming to terms with real time would be bloody and long, spread in time and space over vast areas which are at different stages of tribal, political, social and economic development. It would mean painful cathartic upheavals and convulsions with unpredictable results. Iran's efforts to come back almost full circle is one example. But at what cost, with misery and
sufferings heaped on peace loving ordinary Muslim masses by their leaders ie in Iran, Algeria or Afghanistan. It is likely to engulf Pakistan too.
On the whole Musharraf has handled a difficult situation rather well .He has not promised elections and gone back like Gen Zia so far .He has tried to reform the economy and reduce corruption. The media is relatively free. Judiciary in Pakistan cannot remove him. But in spite of his placing loyal Generals like Usmani to guard his rear, in such situations the toss up is either Thakt (throne) or Takhta (noose). Of course, we will no doubt fuss over the architect of Kargil and the wrecker of Delhi-Lahore bus diplomacy, now our guest in Agra and Ajmer, but let us not forget that the other General, Zia-ul Haq's when visiting nearby Jaipur for cricket test match, was planning Operation Topaz for Kashmir.
Ataturk, Musharraf's proclaimed role model, had boldly carried out modernization and westernizing reforms against religious obscurantism and dogma and forged the remnants of Ottoman Empire with 99% Muslim population into secular Republic of Turkey in 1920s. He had kept his ambitions abroad circumscribed and did not claim former Ottoman provinces lost in the First World War. Musharraf, a child of his times is riding the fundamentalist tiger, he helped nurture and still has to nourish and humour .Like most
Pakistanis his obsession with Kashmir borders on paranoia. Ataturk was born in Salonike (Greece) and his family came from Macedonia. A mohajir, Musharraf was born in Delhi and his family comes from eastern UP. But can he sieze the chance destiny has offered and if necessary subdue the jehadis and others. Ataturk had first battled the Ottoman Sultan's forces sent to kill him and then vanquished friend turned foe rebel Ethem and his green army. Later he ruthlessly crushed the religious revolts led by Kurdish chiefs and others and even neutralized his earlier nationalist comrades to fulfill his destiny. History awaits, Gen. Musharraf.
Amb (Retd) K. Gajendra Singh 20 June 2001. Bucharest-Berlin