Difficulty in reading the new GHQ: Editorial in The Frontier Post, Mar 26, 2015

In his write-up in a national English daily titled \”Zardari is having difficulty reading new GHQ\”, a renowned analyst pointed out that Asif Ali Zardari wanted to have some bargaining, but failed. He wrote: \”Some other ex-generals had baggage, but General Raheel is a free agent (free agent is a person who does not have any constraints that restrict his actions). Some other ex-generals were on extension; General Raheel Sharif has to honor the two Nishan-e-Haiders in his family\”. The writer went on to state that the new GHQ is neither against democracy nor against politics but seems bent upon separating politics from crimes. He observed that the new GHQ may expand its policy and go after the overlap between politics and business; but it is outside the ambit of the GHQ.
There is a perception that it is not only Asif Ali Zardari but also some other political leaders, media men and even banned outfits who find difficulty in reading the new GHQ. After he took over as COAS, Raheel Sharif and corps commanders mulled over changing the status quo in North Waziristan as well as in Karachi. He has many a time categorically stated that the operation is being conducted against all terrorists without any distinction; thus putting the theory of good or bad Taliban at rest. This fact has been acknowledged by the US as well as Afghanistan government. On domestic front, he cautioned those trying to disgrace military and resorting to scathing criticism of armed forces and its agencies, declaring in no uncertain terms that he knew how to safeguard the dignity of the armed forces.
In June 2014, General Sharif changed the security paradigm under which the Army had so far compelled Pakistan to live. Instead of supporting the government\’s peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, he was able to convince the government to conduct operation and attack the safe havens of the Pakistani Taliban and their local and foreign affiliates. Operation Zarb-e-Azb took the war to North Waziristan, where elements that were said to be \’friendly\’ to Pakistan were dealt with an iron hand. North Waziristan marked a clear departure: it rejected the conventional wisdom that any assault on the Taliban in the north would trigger a backlash in the south, where cities were already vulnerable to suicide-bombings and targeted assassinations. This changed the earlier perception of Pakistan vis-a-vis regional and global politics, which has enhanced Pakistan\’s prestige abroad.
However, it was for the first time that the GHQ overturned the isolationist and harmful policy of \”seeking peace\” with the Taliban and other Al Qaeda-linked terrorists, and instead challenged them. The new GHQ also gave a loud and clear message to those who at the behest of their masters tried to disgrace the military. A private channel\’s blatant display of recklessness and self-conceitedness by insinuating against the premier agency of Pakistan before any inquiry or investigations was taken as an insult to the armed forces. What kind of a freedom of expression is it that has possessed our media and commentriat that they know of no bounds? Surely, freedom of expression is democracy\’s essential part, but in no way can this freedom be a licence to insult others or malign and show disrespect to the country\’s institutions.http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/274269/difficulty-in-reading-the-new-ghq/