The Pakistani military is entrenched in the corporate sector and controls the country’s largest companies and large tracts of real estate then (2007) amounting to an astounding $20.7 billion

Pakistan’s current National Assembly completes its five-year term this month and is to be dissolved shortly. For majority, a political party must win 172 seats; 51 per cent. Failure implies a coalition but should the largest political party without majority decline forming coalition; elections would need to be repeated. Will the military then get interim ‘official’ control?

This notwithstanding, what is significant to note is the last December order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan for delimitation of constituencies and door-to-door verification of voters with the help of the Pakistan Army. This was followed by recommendations of the Election Commission of Pakistan that the Army be deployed in all polling stations during the upcoming general elections and continues being deployed until results were announced. Why should a country that has Provincial Police in its Provinces and paramilitary forces numbering some 3,04,000 personnel resort to army deployment for elections, particularly door-todoor verification of voters, when the country itself claims to be a victim of terrorism and the army’s hands are purportedly full fighting terrorists including in FATA, Baluchistan and elsewhere. The message portrayed is that the country would not like to take any chances in conducting free and fair elections. Flip the coin and you can see that the military would brook no chances in losing its stranglehold on the country. Why else would the army be required for door-todoor voter identification, obviously done months/weeks before actual elections?

It was only last October that Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the government to take legal action against former Army Chief Mirza Aslam Beg and former ISI Chief Assad Durrani for distributing millions of rupees among politicians to rig the 1999 general elections. The Court directives were in response to a 1996 petition by retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan, then Interior Minister of Benazir Bhutto. Aslam Beg was intimately involved in the Mehran Bank scandal. In a related single stroke, Aslam Beg reportedly managed to get Rs. 14 crore from Younis Habib of Mehran Bank and deposited in the Survey Section 202 account of Military Intelligence, then headed by Major General Javed Ashraf Qazi. From there, Rs. 6 crore was paid to President Ghulam Ishaq Khan’s election cellmates including Lieutenant General Syed Refaqat and Rs. 8 crore transferred to the ISI account. The kickbacks obviously worked with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) brought into power. Incredibly, another retired General, Naseerullah Babar had disclosed in the National Assembly in 1994 how the ISI had disbursed funds to purchase the loyalty of politicians and public figures so as to manipulate the 1990 elections and bring about the defeat of the PPP.

On balance, the Pakistan Military/ISI have a sustained history of meddling in Pakistan’s politics especially with enormous amounts of funds at their disposal and “for-sale” politicians aplenty. It is little wonder from where the likes of Aslam Beg and Durrani get hold of this huge quantity of ‘millions’ that could influence elections of a whole nation. Ayesha Siddiqa, civilian military analyst and political commentator in Pakistan wrote in her book Military Inc published in 2007 that the Pakistani military is entrenched in the corporate sector and controls the country’s largest companies and large tracts of real estate then (2007) amounting to an astounding $20.7 billion; cumulating from the military industrial complex and Fauji Foundation running not only security related businesses but commercial enterprises that range from running schools, hotels, shopping malls, insurance companies, banks, farms, airline, cereal manufacturing and the like.

So where is the problem in doling out few millions especially when many times more can be recovered after the supported political party comes to power? The military/ISI stranglehold in Pakistan is complete, we can keep playing cricket, entertain Rehman Maliks and hold hands of Hina Rabbanis. Pakistan’s India policy is not going to change. It is time India changes its Pakistan policy.

The views expressed herein are the personal views of the author.