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Is the Pakistan Army becoming apolitical at last?
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E-mailMade Popular Aug 19 2008
Pakistan :
General Pervez Musharraf who seized power through a coup in 1999 overthrowing the elected civilian government of Nawaz Sharif has resigned as President of Pakistan owing to tremendous public and political pressure.
This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that the Pakistani Army has sidelined itself completely from the power games in Islamabad by not taking sides with its former General or the recently elected civilian coalition government.
RSS 
It would be very, very difficult for the army to seize power in Pakistan now because anyone who does that will not be forgiven as Musharraf was this time. He escaped the hangman's noose very narrowly. No one can stand up against the will of an entire country.
(Local Perspectives)
It does not appear to be so. it is quite possible that general Kayani may be bidding his time for an opportunate moment to strike. pakistani history is replete with such instances which need no repetition.
(Global Perspectives)
Ramesh:
It is possible that another general might seize power in Pakistan overthrowing a civilian government. But then who will back him up? Kayani is the most unlikely person to do such a thing. Maybe someone else in the future but not this man who is being observed very closely by one and all. One might say that Musharraf was also such a general but then he was the Chief of Staff and the main architect of the Kargil War and he was sacked. He had to save his skin somehow.
It is possible that another general might seize power in Pakistan overthrowing a civilian government. But then who will back him up? Kayani is the most unlikely person to do such a thing. Maybe someone else in the future but not this man who is being observed very closely by one and all. One might say that Musharraf was also such a general but then he was the Chief of Staff and the main architect of the Kargil War and he was sacked. He had to save his skin somehow.
(Local Perspectives)
The Pakistan military led by the Army is playing low at this moment because Musharraf proved to be a hugely unsuccessful and unpopular leader. The Army under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani knows that the public sentiment is against the military. So it is keeping a low profile. Let go a few years and the corrupt politicians will fail themselves and the Army will take over power once again like before.
(Global Perspectives)
The Pakistan Army has to remain apolitical if it has to fight a successful war against terror. The Pakistani Army must first clean its own house of radicals that have infiltrated to the lower and middle ranks. It knows that it is sitting on a time bomb.
(Global Perspectives)
Times have changed since a military dictator was seen and pampered as the blue eyed-boy of the West (read America). Now most of the dictators seem to be on the Russian and Chinese side like Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Pakistan Army realizes it and I don't think they would be back into Paki politics as before.
(Global Perspectives)
Pakistan is at the crossroads for a tryst with history now. The military has to decide now what path it would like to see Pakistan walk - towards democracy that will bring prosperity and international respect for Pakistan that in turn will do good to the military itself, or remain trapped in the quagmire of tyranny and oppression.
(Global Perspectives)
Pakistani Army and Pakistani politics are married to each other. It is just that the bride which is the government is married two both the Army and the civilians. She changes bed periodically. She will be bored with the current civilian government just as she was bored with Musharraf's 9-year-old reign.
(Global Perspectives)
The way Musharraf was forced to step down by the people of Pakistan and their elected politicians speak volumes of the Pakistan Army's future role in the country. I don't think that unless Pakistan's democracy collapses again, the military would have any future role in Pakistan's politics.
(Global Perspectives)
Add your Comment
It also helps that the current Pakistan Army Chief of Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is a moderate and had been an adviser to Nawaz Sharif.
We can say that the Army has become apolitical only when we see two successive Army chiefs retire to play golf and two successive civilian governments run the country. Only then.