Page 48 - JAN2020E2

Pakistan judiciary and

Imran Khan in tug of war

The neighbouring country’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his predecessor General Pervez
Musharraf may become casualties amid the row, writes gopal misra

he New Year ushers in Paki- exit of Liaqat from the country’s political as corrupt, womanizer drunkard politi-
stan with the further sharp- horizon in 1951. He had toppled the then cal leader. In case of Sharif being a hard
ening of conflicts within the elected Prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, core Punjab could not be eliminated. The
establishment, an euphemism who had dared to remove him the post Punjab province has huge presence in
T generally used for the general of the army chief. His predecessor Gen- the Pakistani defense forces as well as in
army headquarters (GHQ). However, eral Zia-ul-Haq could hang Z.A. Bhutto, the civil administration. The command-
there are two indications that, firstly, the but Musharraf could not manipulate a ers and soldiers comprising overwhelm-
pre-dominant Punjabi establishment is judicial hanging for Nawaz Sharif. The ing presence hail from the province. In
ready to abandon General Pervez Mush- reason could be that Bhutto hailed from the case of Bajwa, who claims his origin
arraf, the country’s first army chief, from Sind. Since Sindis do not have much from the Jats of Sialkot, is also believed
the Mohajirs or the people who had mi- presence in the armed forces, Zia could to have an Ahmedia or Qadiani back-
grated from UP (India), and secondly, hang him. ground. Therefore, it is difficult to predict
the issue is how much support the GHQ Zia and his supporters among the that whether he would get whole-heart-
should extend to the present incumbent, religious leaders had also painted him ed support from the GHQ in his bid to
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who many
believe does not belong to the hardcore
Punjabi-Sunni family, facing an existen-
tial challenge.
During the past more than six dec-
ades, the GHQ has been the centre of
power in Pakistan. The pre-dominant
role of the armed forces had begun with
the assassination of the country’s first
Prime Minister Nawabzada Liaquat Ali
Khan on October 16, 1951. He was shot
at point blank by a military officer hav-
ing an Afghan identity. It has never been
explained why the assassin, who had sur-
rendered, was immediately shot dead by
the police officer on duty. Thus, the con-
spiracy behind this high-profile murder
could never be revealed.
It is also true that one of the founders
of Pakistan, Liaqat Ali Khan, born in a rich
Jat family of Karnal, present day Haryana,
could not get elected from any constitu-
ency of West Pakistan. He could be elect-
ed to the Pakistan Constituent Assembly
from East Bengal, now Bangladesh.
It goes to the credit of General Mush-
arraf that he was the first Mohajir or non-
Punjabi, who could rule the country for
almost eight years following the sudden

48