Open Letter to General Qamar Bajwa & GHQ Core

Dear Generals at the General Headquarters,

With the critical Punjab Chief Minister’s election only a day away, I, as a concerned citizen, would like to draw your attention to the following statement by Rana Sanaullah Khan, the interior minister, at a press conference on July 17:

“PTI has 188 votes while the PML-N had 180 votes, and asked what Pervaiz Elahi would do if five MPs didn’t show up on the day of the voting i.e. July 22.” https://www.newsbox.pk/what-would-pervaiz-elahi-do-if-five-mps-didnt-show-up-on-july-22-rana-sanaullah/ 

While at a press conference today, the interior minister also said that the expired tear gas, which he claimed was bought by his “predecessors”, had finished. “Now they will get everything effective, fresh, and updated if the need arises.
 (https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/07/02/rana-sanaullah-promises-to-use-fresh-tear-gas-if-the-need-arises-as-pti-holds-massive-jalsa/)

 “I have a message for the miscreant mob; we have bought new teargas shells and their concern has been addressed,” the minister said as reproduced in another newspaper (https://tribune.com.pk/story/2364342/wont-let-any-miscreant-mob-enter-islamabads-d-chowk-sanaullah

These statements carry an unambiguous tone and embody a plot to subvert the electoral process for the election of Punjab’s chief minister on Friday, July 22.
It reflects the mindset that currently rules Pakistan and implies that the minister intends to deploy methods that may result in the disappearance or no-show of a certain number of either PTI or PML-Q members to disrupt the process and hence deny the largest bloc in the Punjab Assembly to choose the head of the next government.

Although the speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has moved Supreme Court to adjudicate Rana Sanaullah’s intimidatory and offensive statement, the armed forces – which in public perception remain a key factor in the current governance system – cannot remain indifferent (neutral) to an issue on which stability and certainty of the entire country hinges. And for this, the constitution itself imposes responsibilities on the GHQ.

Article 244 of the Constitution relates to the oath of the Armed Forces;  under this article members of the armed forces pledge to “ bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan and uphold the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which embodies the will of the people, that I will not engage myself in any political activities whatsoever and that I will honestly and faithfully serve Pakistan in the Pakistan Army (or Navy or Air Force) as required by and under the law.”

This constitutional responsibility is certainly not restricted to the security threats on and beyond borders. It also obligates GHQ – a key stakeholder in the country’s political economy – to deal with internal threats too. 

If the PML-N – led by the vindictive and high-handed mindset that Rana Sanaullah and some of his colleagues embody  – is allowed to abuse it would only aggravate the already precarious state of Pakistan’s economy; the stocks and the Rupee are already battered because of the extreme uncertainty accompanying the current political dispensation and the lack of credibility – both in and outside the country in the system.

Will the GHQ allow manipulation and subversion of the CM’s election process and push the country into a greater crisis? 
The Supreme Court may adjudicate the matter in its own way but it lacks the physical wherewithal to prevent foul-play by the current provincial administration – most of which is loyal to the Sharif family.

All key stakeholders of Pakistan’s political economy are called upon to move in tandem on July 22 to forestall a situation in Lahore that may further precipitate political chaos and worsen the state of uncertainty. No amount of fresh loans will guarantee an end to uncertainty. It is political stability that will ensure certainty and for that EVERYONE including the GHQ cannot absolve themselves of their constitutional responsibilities vis a vis thuggery and fraud in the cover of democracy and rule of law.