A military coup in Pakistan has become inevitable as the country is fast descending into chaos because of the "failure" of the political leadership, some top commanders feel.
They reportedly aired their views during the last Corps Commanders' meeting held in Rawalpindi on September 8, but were snubbed by army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. A "few participants" in the meeting had raised the issue of an army takeover, The News daily reported on Wednesday, quoting its sources.
The Inter-Services Public Relations had "issued no press release at the end of the meeting," the report said. However, the daily also quoted an unnamed senior military official as denying that the military takeover issue was discussed, saying it was not true.
The newspaper quoted its sources as saying that "quite a few participants of the meeting thought a military takeover was the only way to steer the country out of multiple crises, as the political leadership has failed the masses."
Kayani, together with some other commanders, "urged restraint and patience, saying the civilian government should be given more time to tackle the burning issues," the report said. As no press release was issued after the meeting, it created confusion, as the decision to "issue no handout was unprecedented," the paper said.
Journalists were told by military sources that this was done to avoid any criticism of the army for being overtly vocal on the situation in Karachi, where hundreds of people have died in political and ethnic violence in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, during a recent visit to Karachi, said that if the government failed to deliver, others would take over. The daily claimed this was an "oblique reference to the army."
President Asif Ali Zardari too thought it wise to issue a statement advising his rival, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif, to remain respectful towards the armed forces instead of making them controversial.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, while hearing a suo motu case on the situation in Karachi, had recently urged the elected government to deliver and not give excuses to the military for a takeover.
The men in uniform have always used the breakdown of law and order as an excuse to send democratic governments packing, he had said.
Chaudhry had warned the democratic government to get its act together and secure Karachi. "We have closed the door on military intervention but at the same time, democracy has to deliver while adhering to the Constitution," he had said.
Since its independence in 1947, Pakistan has spent several decades under military rule (1958-1971, 1977-1988, 1999-2008).
