Sharif, In Search For A New Pak Army Chief

Accused of being ‘soft’ on India, a cornered Sharif faces a Hobson’s choice over selection of a new army chief

- Pranay Sharma

IN a country that has been ruled by the military for more than half of its 70 years of independent life, appo­inting an army chief has always been a tough challenge for Pakistan’s embattled prime ministers. But re­app­ointing one seems even tougher.

Yet this is a dilemma that a beleaguered Nawaz Sharif, who is facing isolation both at home and abroad in the wake of the India’s September 29 ‘surgical strikes’, has to deal with now: should he extend the term of the current army chief Raheel Sharif, who retires in November, or should a new general get the job? Known for his testy relations with the army, Sharif, interestingly, also has the distinc­tion of being the only Pakistani premier to have appointed six army chiefs.

Officially, Pakistan denies New Delhi’s ‘surgical’ claims and describes the strikes by the Indian army as shelling along the Line of Control—a routine affair that has often happened in the past.

Many Pakistani commentators too, are sceptical about what the Narendra Modi government has decided to highlight in public as ‘surgical strikes’ inside Pakistan at terrorist launchpads. But they are not convinced either about the Pakistani govern­ment’s explaining away of the operations.

“Surely, the Indian claim has far too many holes—but so does our story,” writes author and commentator Zahid Hussain in his column in Pakistan’s leading newspaper, Dawn.

This incredulity is also shared by sev­eral others in Pakistan who have turned their anger now towards Sharif for being “too soft” on India. Many of them want a “befitting reply” to blunt the gloating in India since last month’s military action, especially amongst BJP camp followers.