ALI HUSSAIN & AAMIR SAEED & NUZHAT NAZAR

ISLAMABAD: The move to allow former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif to lead the Islamic military alliance of 39 Sunni-majority countries without formal consent of Parliament has evoked a considerable controversy.

An anecdotal survey carried out by Business Recorder shows this decision contravenes the unanimous joint resolution passed by a special joint sitting of Parliament after a five-day exhaustive debate and adopted a unanimous resolution on April 10, 2015, which stated: “It [Parliament] apprehends that the crisis in Yemen could plunge the region into turmoil; [Parliament] desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis”.

Military sources told Business Recorder that as per law the government can waive off the two-year condition required for an army officer to hold another sensitive position after his retirement; and added that the military had no objections as far as the interests of the country are aligned.

The silence of the former General is inexplicable, analysts added, as he had to have agreed to the position at what he considered appropriate terms of reference and remuneration.

Lt-Gen Talat Masood (retd), a senior defence analyst, told Business Recorder that the purpose of the alliance is as vague and ambiguous as the government’s decision to allow Raheel Sharif to accept the offer to lead it.

He believes that Iran’s allied countries like Iraq and Syria will take the controversial decision of Pakistan as an offensive against them. “It would adversely impact Pakistan’s position as a neutral actor in the Muslim world and would have negative repercussions with respect to our foreign policy,” he added.

Analyst Zahid Hussain said it was strange that a decision was made that the former army chief would be allowed to lead the alliance without consulting the parliament.

“The decision will demoralize Pakistan army that the now retired country’s powerful army chief has got a job abroad to lead an army that does not exist,” he said, adding that it also violates tradition where the army chief does not accept a job upon his retirement.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have opposed the appointment of Gen Raheel Sharif to the military alliance and asked the government to take parliament into confidence.

“We demand that the government should bring the issue to parliament and brief the lawmakers about the repercussions to our foreign policy in the wake of this decision,” said Senator Farhatullah Babar, PPP’s spokesperson.

He recalled that Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz in a policy statement to the Senate in January 2017 had promised that the government would take the parliament into confidence before making any decision with regard to appointment of Raheel Sharif.

“The government also needs to keep in view the unanimous decision through a joint resolution of the parliament which calls for staying away from the Middle East conflict,” he said, adding the parliament clearly decided that Pakistan will act as a mediator and will not take sides.

PTI’s spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said the party strongly opposes the government’s decision of allowing the former army chief to head the Islamic military alliance.

He said that PTI chief Imran Khan has tasked senior party’s parliamentarians including Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Shafqat Mehmood to prepare a strategy to raise the issue in parliament.

He described the decision as a breach of parliament which had unanimously decided to remain neutral in Middle East conflict, adding the party would move a privilege motion as well as a calling attention notice in National Assembly to discuss the issue.

The alliance, formally known as the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism was announced on December 15, 2015 by Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince and defence minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud with the objective to fight Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region.

Initially 34 Sunni-majority Muslim countries including Pakistan were announced to be part of the alliance and later more countries were added but the Shia-majority countries including Iran, Iraq and Syria were not included in the alliance.

On March 26, 2017, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a private TV channel that Pakistan responded to a written request by Saudi Arabia and conveyed Pakistan’s consent in writing to the kingdom. He said that the advisory board of the alliance, comprising the defence ministers of member countries, is expected to meet in May 2017 to discuss the structural arrangements of the alliance.

Shia religio-political organizations in the country like Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) also strongly reacted to the decision which they intend to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

“We are in contact with other like-minded parties and we want to challenge this decision in Supreme Court in the coming days. We oppose this decision in the light of the country’s larger interest,” said Nasir Sherazi, senior MWM leader who further stated that they are approaching other political parties to challenge the government decision and to warn the government “not to play with fire”.

“Pakistan is a nuclear state and being an army chief he [Sharif] is privy to strategic secrets,” he said, adding Raheel Sharif is guardian of the national secrets and he should not be allowed to accept this offer.

He further said that they would also urge Gen Raheel Sharif (retd) through a letter not to accept the offer, adding it would be the first precedent in the country’s history that a former military chief would be serving aboard.