Trust.org: ISLAMABAD, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Disagreement over how to handle an escalating insurgency has put Pakistan’s all-powerful army on a collision course with the government, with the military increasingly vocal in its criticism of civilian leaders, officials and diplomats said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who came to power in May has promised to tame Islamist militancy through negotiations, but four months on, talks have yet to start and attacks continue daily.
The army, which has ruled the South Asian nation for more than half its history, has avoided open confrontation with Sharif and his government but tension is on the rise.
“The army chief … is thinking: ‘Mian Sahib (Nawaz Sharif), enough is enough’,” a senior army officer serving in the strife-plagued Pashtun tribal area along the Afghan border told Reuters during a visit to Islamabad.
The military-civilian discord has been the source of tension throughout Pakistani history but Sharif’s election has raised hopes the government would get a larger say following Pakistan’s first transition between civilian administrations.
Sharif promised to hold talk with the militants during the election campaign, a welcome vow for many Pakistanis who, while abhorring the bombers, have never been convinced of the necessity of joining the U.S.-led campaign against militancy.
The army, which keeps thousands of troops in the tribal belt, opposes talks with the Pakistani Taliban, saying previous attempts to bring the militants to the negotiating table yielded no results.
Categories: Asia