Arun Joshi

Pakistan supreme court has granted six months’ time to the Imran Khan government to set its house in order by bringing a law on the tenure of the army chief of the country. This is not merely the question of the extension in the tenure of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, but also the moves that it might be having in its kitty for internal politics and designs in the geopolitics of South Asia. Kashmir is in irretrievable focus of Pakistan’s politics and foreign policy.

There is something more than what meets the eye in Pakistan government’s push for the extension of Gen Bajwa’s tenure. It is an extraordinary move even by Pakistan’s own standards of being under the unfettered influence of the army in its day-to-day affairs as also the external policy. It doesn’t happen every day that the law minister of the country resigns to defend the government’s move on the extension of the army chief’s tenure in the supreme court.

And, it happened in Pakistan, where the law minister Farogh Naseem resigned and represented the government in clearing the government stand on Gen Bajwa. That, of course, meant that Gen Bajwa was deemed to be a strategic asset by Pakistan.

Since August 5, when the Modi government scrapped Article 370 and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories of Ladakh, and the rest of J&K, Pakistan has upped the ante. It is continuing to seek fresh troubles in the Valley, it is a different matter that its attempts have been effectively foiled by the security forces and the people.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tweets tell it all. A between-the-line reading of Khan’s tweets on Thursday within minutes after the Pakistan supreme court snubbed the government and demanded that it should have a law regarding the appointment and tenure of the army chief makes it clear.

He had tweeted: “Today must be a great disappointment to those who expected the country to be destablised by a clash of institutions. That this did not happen must be of special disappointment to our external enemies & mafias within.”

It needs no emphasis that Pakistan considers India as its enemy no. 1, because of Kashmir. On August 16, Gen Bajwa, while interacting with Pakistan occupied Kashmir’s president Masood Khan, had assured him “Pakistan army’s full support and commitment to the Kashmir cause and its people.” This was in less than a fortnight’s time after Pakistan had gone all guns blazing following the August 5 decision.

The Indian army’s strategic heads are trying to make sense of the brazen push for the extension of Gen Bajwa’s tenure by the Pakistani establishment. It could mean that Pakistan has some dangerous designs up its sleeves on Kashmir.

Gen Bajwa might be having a task to do. It is a signal of dangerous times for Kashmir. It was on Gen Bajwa’s watch that Pakistan engineered the Pulwama massacre of the CRPF personnel on February 14. He was with Prime Minister Khan during their US visit in July where the US president Donald Trump had offered to “mediate” between India and Pakistan on Kashmir.

Pakistan has outsourced its internal policy making and foreign policy to the army. Prime Minister Imran Khan has legitimised this the way his government has acted in the Supreme Court. The media and Pakistani intellectuals have termed the embarrassment caused to the PTI government of its own making, because of inept handling of the sensitive matter. But PM Khan has read it as a positive development, and that should be worryingfor India as Gen Bajwa has been given full control of everything – this is the return of the army rule in Pakistan.

More than what meets the eye

There is something more than what meets the eye in Pakistan government’s push for the extension of Gen Bajwa’s tenure. It is an extraordinary move even by Pakistan’s own standards of being under the unfettered influence of the army in its day-to-day affairs as also the external policy. It doesn’t happen every day that the law minister of the country resigns to defend the government’s move on the extension of the army chief’s tenure in the supreme court. And, it happened in Pakistan, where the law minister Farogh Naseem resigned and represented the government in clearing the government stand on Gen Bajwa. That, of course, meant that Gen Bajwa was deemed to be a strategic asset by Pakistan.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 1

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said Pakistan minister Sheikh Rashid’s disclosure that the Kartarpur corridor was the brainchild of their army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had exposed Islamabad’s nefarious intent behind the initiative.

The CM said Rashid’s remark that “the corridor would hurt India, which would forever remember the wound inflicted on it by General Bajwa with the Kartarpur corridor” was an open and blatant threat to India’s security and integrity and warned Pakistan against attempting any misadventure. 

The CM said he had all along maintained that while as a Sikh he was elated at the opening of the corridor, that provided access to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara, the threat it posed to our country could not be ignored.” He said he had repeatedly warned that Pakistan was trying to woo the Sikhs by opening the corridor to further the ISI-backed “Referendum 2020” agenda.

This was evident from the fact that Bajwa had disclosed the decision to build the corridor to then minister Navjot Singh Sidhu at the time of Imran Khan’s swearing-in, he pointed out. “Khan had not even taken over then, yet the Pakistan army chief spoke about the matter to Sidhu.”

Cautioning Sidhu, the CM urged him not to allow his friendship with the Pakistan PM cloud his judgement.

File photo of Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat. PTI

New Delhi, December 2

Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat will embark on a four-day visit to Japan beginning Tuesday with an aim to bolster bilateral military cooperation.

Officials said the Army Chief will hold talks with the top brass of the Japan Self Defence Force on further expanding defence and security cooperation.

Gen Rawat will also meet Defence Minister Taro Kono during which key issues of mutual interests would be discussed, they said. PTI

The way it went about Gen Bajwa’s extension reveals its incompetence

Setback: General Bajwa has been embarrassed and his position made controversial.

Tilak Devasher
Member, National security advisory board

Even for a country used to lurching from crisis to crisis, the events of last week revolving around the three-year extension to Pakistan army chief General Bajwa were unique and unprecedented. The stakes were high since without a positive decision, he would have retired at midnight on November 28. This is the only case in Pakistan’s chequered history where the army chief’s extension was subjected to judicial scrutiny and found wanting. Previously, extensions were accepted as the norm. In the end, the Supreme Court (SC) drastically reduced the extension to six months and made it conditional on the government’s assurance that it would legislate on the army chief’s appointment and conditions of service within six months.

The SC suspending the extension on November 26 was based on the infirmities of the extension order itself. First, the PM passed an order appointing Bajwa for a second term on August 19, even though constitutionally the President is the appointing authority; the mistake was sought to be rectified the same day by sending a summary to the President for extension that was approved the same day. The flaw was that neither the PM nor the President could do so without cabinet approval. Hence, on August 20 another summary was moved for cabinet approval. Of the 25 cabinet members, only 11 agreed to the proposal that was less than the majority required. Even so, after the so-called approval the matter was not sent to the PM or the President again for orders.

The appalling incompetence was further reinforced when the court pointed out that while the PM’s revised summary of November 26 mentioned  ‘reappointment’, the notification issued by the President said ‘extension’. Further, on November 27 the court held that the modifications made by the cabinet in the relevant army rules on the previous day did not actually even apply to the army chief. The government had blundered again. Matters were made worse when the government told the SC on November 26 that the President had approved the summary for extension on August 19. However, President Arif Alvi had earlier said in a TV interview on September 12 that he had not received the summary for extension till then. Clearly, either the President was lying or the government was. In either case it was hardly a situation any government would have liked to be in.

The SC looked into three aspects of the case: the law — whether there were rules governing extensions of an army chief; the procedure — whether the government followed the laid-down process; and the rationale of the extension. On all three counts, the government was unable to convince the court. In fact, the SC was quite scathing about the justification of the regional security situation for the extension. It observed, ‘If the regional security situation reasoning is accepted, then every army officer would want a reappointment.’ The compulsions for Imran Niazi for giving Bajwa an extension were more political than security related. After all, he had hailed Bajwa as a ‘democratic-minded general’, and his reasoning would have been that Bajwa would be supportive of the PTI government. The government’s increasing reliance on it will make the military even more dominant in civil governance.

Two other aspects of the case are important. One, a surprising element in the controversy was the admission of the attorney general that none of the laws and rules governing the Pakistan army expressly referred to the reappointment or extension of a serving army chief. The cabinet sought to rectify this legal lacuna by amending the Army Rules and Regulations Section 255, incorporating the words ‘extension in tenure’ to justify the fresh extension order. The court, however, held that the section could be invoked only after an officer had retired from service, and in any case did not pertain to the appointment of the army chief but of other officers!

Second, the Bench sought to put at rest any controversy about the timing of the judicial scrutiny. It observed that legal issues about previous extensions had never been raised. Since the issue had come up now all legal aspects of the matter would be reviewed. Meanwhile, the army’s psy-war has been activated against the judges. As the Chief Justice (CJ) observed, propaganda was launched against them by allegations that they were CIA agents and working on an Indian agenda. Interestingly, during arguments, the attorney general made a veiled threat to the court when he urged it ‘not to be so strict about the law. Sometimes, the stick can break from stiffness’.

The track record of advocate Riaz Hanif Rahi, who had challenged the extension of Bajwa, indicates that he has invariably filed references against persons inconvenient for the army like former CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Qazi Faez Isa and also challenged the special court set up to try former President Musharraf for treason, and so on. His antecedents strongly suggest that he was instigated to challenge Bajwa’s extension by a section of the army officers who were adversely affected by it.

The case has shown a unique assertion of judicial authority over the holiest of holies in Pakistan — the serving army chief himself. In the process, Bajwa has been embarrassed and his position made controversial. What is also glaring is the abysmal ineptitude and incompetence of the government that was seen unable to deal with even procedural matters like issuing a notification. Questions would inevitably be asked about the capability and fitness of the ‘selected’ PM. Bajwa will henceforth be closely identified with the government, and especially its failures. This is not something that would further the institutional interests of the army.

Sub-lieutenant Shivangi while joining as the first woman pilot of Indian Navy, at a ceremony in Kochi on December 2, 2019. PTI

Kochi, December 2

Sub-Lieutenant Shivangi of the Indian Navy on Monday became first naval woman pilot and joined operational duties in the presence of top naval officials at its base here.

It is a very proud feeling for me. It is a different feeling,” Shivangi told reporters here.

Fulfilling her long-cherished dream, she received her ‘qualification wings’ from the chief of Southern Naval Command Vice Admiral AK Chawla.

I have been craving for this for a long time. It is a great feeling, she said.

She joined the Indian Navy as its first woman pilot on completion of operational training here.

Hailing from Muzzafarpur in Bihar, Shivangi would be flying the Naval Dornier surveillance aircraft.

As part of her training, Shivangi has flown Pilatus PC 7 Mk II, Basic Trainer at AFA and completed Dornier Conversion with the Indian navy in Kochi.

She would continue her training at INAS 550, the Dornier squadron at INS Garuda, to become a fully operational pilot on Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) aircraft.

Later, interacting with the media, she said she started dreaming of becoming a pilot ever since she saw a chopper carrying a minister landed in the neighbourhood of her grand parents’ place in Bihar during her childhood.

Shivangi recalled that everyone in the area had gathered around to see the helicopter and she was one among them.

She got ‘super-inspired” when she saw the helicopter and the man flying it.  She said her family is supportive and they never questioned her wish to join defence forces.

“In fact, they were proud,” Shivangi said.

Shivangi, who joined the force just two days ahead of the Navy Day, also thanked the Navy staff and Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) for their support.

They have always encouraged me, she said.

The Navy congratulated her on her achievement.

Along with her, two trainee officers of the 7^th Dornier Conversion Course (DOCC) also qualified as Dornier pilots and were awarded the coveted golden Wings at the simple and solemn ceremony, a defence spokesman said.

Vice Admiral AK Chawla was the chief guest for the ceremony who presented the Wings to the passing out officers, signifying their qualification as naval aviators.

The FOC-in-C South Rolling Trophy for standing first in overall order of merit was awarded to Lieutenant Shivam Pandey, he said.

The award of the Wings marks the culmination of one year of flying training at the Air Force Academy (AFA), Dundigal and Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 550, INS Garuda in Kochi.

From here on, these pilots would join the Dornier Operational Flying Training course at INAS 550 from mid- January 2020, prior to joining an operational maritime reconnaissance squadron. PTI

Captain Amarinder with Navjot Singh Sidhu. File photo

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 1

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday said Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid’s disclosure that Kartarpur Corridor was the brainchild of their Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had exposed Islamabad’s nefarious intent behind the initiative.

Also read: Kartarpur corridor Army chief Bajwa’s brainchild, will hurt India: Pak minister

Even as he expressed serious concern over this admission by the Pakistan minister, the Chief Minister said that in  validating his (Captain Amarinder’s stand) on the issue, Rashid had completely bared the wicked design of Pakistan behind the Corridor, which India had hoped would emerge as a bridge of peace between the countries.

The Chief Minister also took strong exception to Rashid’s remarks that “the Corridor would hurt India, which would forever remember the wound inflicted on it by Gen Bajwa with the Kartarpur Corridor.”

Terming it an open and blatant threat against India’s security and integrity, Captain Amarinder warned Pakistan not to attempt to indulge in any misadventure against its neighbour.

“Don’t make the mistake of reading weakness in our gratitude for the opening of the Corridor,” warned the Chief Minister, asserting that India would give a befitting response to any bid by Pakistan to attack its borders or its people.

Declaring that India would never let Pakistan fulfill its despicable ambitions against the former, he said any such attempt by Islamabad would be met with retaliation of the kind that they would never be able to survive.

Captain Amarinder recalled that he had all along maintained that while he was extremely happy, as a Sikh, at the opening of the Corridor to enable access to Indian devotees to the historic Kartarpur Gurdwara, the threat it posed to our country could not be ignored. The Chief Minister had, in fact, been repeatedly urging caution over the matter, warning that Pakistan was trying to win the sympathies of the Sikhs by opening the corridor to further the ISI-backed Referendum 2020 agenda.

This had been quite evident from various facts, most notably that Bajwa had disclosed the Pakistani decision to build the Corridor to then Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu at the time of Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony, said the Chief Minister.

“Imran had not even taken over then, yet their Army Chief had spoken about this to Sidhu. How was it possible unless Bajwa was the one behind the Corridor decision,” asked Captain Amarinder, recalling that he had pointed this out long back.

Given the revelation of the Pakistan minister, Captain Amarinder also urged Sidhu to be more cautious while dealing with the Imran Khan government and not allow his personal friendship with the Pakistan Prime Minister cloud his judgement in any way, as that could be harmful to India’s interests.