Pakistan: Has Kayani Put Zardari On Notice? / Worsening Pakistan Situation Making A Ground For Army

Pakistan: Has Kayani Put Zardari On Notice? / Worsening Pakistan Situation Making A Ground For Army

(NSI News Source Info) March 10, 2009: Will Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani dislodge Pakistan’s civilian government with tacit approval from the US? There are reports in the Pakistan media to suggest that Kayani, who has so far diligently maintained a low profile, has warned President Asif Ali Zardari that he should either clear the mess in the country soon or be ready to face the consequences.

Kayani is said to have hardened his position immediately after his return to Pakistan from the US last month, said the reports, speculating that Kayani has got the go-ahead from US authorities to assert himself in the face of the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

Sections of Pakistani media have it that Kayani put Zardari on notice during his two visits to the Pakistani president this month. Speculation that army might step in to deal with the increasingly anarchic situation started soon after the terrorist attack in Lahore. Though Pakistan foreign office rubbished these reports as ‘‘not credible’’, this has not tamped down the guessing game about the future moves of Pakistan army.

The army returned to barracks after it appeared to have lost legitimacy during the helmsmanship of General Pervez Musharraf. But the rapid deterioration in security situation with the political leadership unable to get its act together appear to have created a windown of opportunity for it to step out and assume the reins once again.

Zardari is increasingly being looked upon in Pakistan as a leader driven by his personal agendas against rivals like PML (N) leader Nawaz Sharif. He has steadfastly refused to bring back Iftikhar Chaudhary as the chief justice of supreme court fearing that Chaudhary might roll back amnesty provided to him by Musharraf in cases of corruption.

This issue is now all set to culminate in the long march organised by lawyers and leaders like Sharif, his brother and ousted Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif and Imran Khan who has threatened that revolution will flow from guns and blood in Pakistan if Zardari uses state machinery to prevent the march.

The lawyers will march to Islamabad, starting March 12. The sit-in in Islamabad on March 16, according to lawyers and leaders, will continue till Zardari appoints Chaudhary back as chief justice. Apart from the disqualification of Sharif brothers, carried out allegedly at the behest of Zardari, he is now seen as appointing his associates as judges in Punjab and Sind. Kayani, according to media reports, has told Zardari that the situation is explosive that he would be held responsible if something untoward happens.

According to Asia Times Online Pakistan’s Bureau chief Syed Saleem Shahzad, Kayani’s trip to US ‘‘appears to have acted as a catalyst for change’’. ‘‘The ongoing strife in the country, with militants and al-Qaida steadily gaining ground in the tribal areas, and the government busy settling scores with opposition parties, has compelled Washington and its prime contractor in the region, the Pakistan military, to rewrite the political scenario,’’ says Shahzad in a column.