Pakistan’s Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has got three years’ extension. He will now stay in his post until 29 November 2022. He had taken over on 29 November 2016 from General Raheel Sharief. In Pakistan’s journey as a nationstate the first extension to an Army chief was given to General Ayub Khan. He took over as Army Chief on 17 January 1951 and continued with extensions up to 28 October 1958.

The second Army chief, General Musa Khan, had a 11-year tenure from October 1958 to March 1969 till General Yahiya Khan took over. General Zia-ul-Haq also had a 11-year tenure from 1 March 1976 to 17 August 1988. General Musharraf stayed as Army Chief from 6 October 1998 to 28 November 2007. General Kayani was chief for six years (29 November 2007 to 29 November 2013) and now General Bajwa’s tenure has got a second innings. General Bajwa was born on 11 February 1960 at Gakhhar Mandi in Gujranwala District of Pakistan. His father Lt. Col.

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Ikrmullaha Bajwa was an officer in the Pakistan Army but died in 1967 when the General was seven years old. His mother stayed with his maternal grandfather at Rawalpindi where he studied in Government High School, Civil Lines and did his Matric in 1976. He did his 12th class from Gordon College, Rawalpindi 1978 and jointed Pakistan Military Academy Kakul in Abbotabad District of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. He passed out on 24 October 1980 and was commissioned in 16th Baloch Regiment. General Bajwa commanded his battalion in 1996-98 and commanded 150 Infantry Brigade at Gilgit in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir from 2003 to 2005.

He was Force Commander Northern Areas (FCNA) in 2008-2010. He was Chief of Staff of 10 Corp and later was GOC 10 Corp at Rawalpindi from 2013 to 2015. This is the most important corp and was raised in 1974. He was Inspector General (Inspections) in GHQ when Nawaz Sharief picked him up as Army Chief on 29 November 2016. He was 4th in seniority at that time. Nawaz Sharief as Prime Minister had chosen him on the premise that he would be obsequious and help him in any crisis. However, Nawaz’s vaulting expectations soon started becoming smouldering desires. It is said that during the Panama leaks investigation by the JIT, Nawaz had asked General Bajwa to put pressure on the two Brigadiers in JIT (Joint Investigation Team), who were representing ISI and MI, not to be harsh and strict with him and treat him and his family magnanimously.

It is understood General Bajwa didn’t help Sharief and his family and refused to direct the two Brigadiers to help. Relations started deteriorating from there and misunderstandings multiplied. It was then that General Bajwa and his fellow Generals finally decided to get rid of Nawaz and his family. It is well known that the establishment led by General Bajwa used dexterous sagacity to bring Imran and his party to power. That Imran is only a cover of the Establishment is well known.

The extension for General Bajwa was also a foregone conclusion. “General Qamar Javed Bajwa is appointed Chief of Army Staff for another term of three years from the date of completion of current tenure. The decision has been taken in view of regional security environment”, the order issued by Imran Khan said. The extension underscores the fact that the Army is Pakistan’s most powerful institution. On the surface, the Prime Minister is making this decision but in practice, this is a question of the Army’s own internal decision-making or what it wishes to be. From the outside, it is impossible to know whether there is any dissent within the institution on this front or not.

The real issue is the internal power dynamics in Pakistan and the fact that the Army continues to run the country despite facade of a democratic government. The democratic government shows pusillanimous obedience to it. Imran’s Government has justified the extension on the grounds that General Bajwa’s extension would provide a steadying hand. This is much needed, particularly during the term of the PTI government, which has not endeared itself to voters. Prices rising, the rupee losing power against the dollar and with much of the opposition behind bars, PTI’s government needs the wisdom of more seasoned experts to help and guide the ship.

As a consequence of this extension many Lieutenant Generals out of the 29 in the Pakistan Army would retire leaving the ISI Chief General Faiz Hameed to succeed General Bajwa when (if he ever) he demits office on 29 November 2022. It is a fact that in the 71-year long history of Pakistan, there have been only two periods when the Establishment was not in control of defence, foreign affairs and internal security. The first time was from 14 August 1947 to 21 October 1951, the day Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan was assassinated. The second spell came on 20 December 1971 when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto took over and lasted till 5 July 1977, when he was overthrown in a military takeover by General Zia Ul Haq.

The Establishment never allowed independent-minded leaders to grow and the moment anybody tried to encroach upon the Establishment’s domain, he was made a horrible example for others to see and as Nawaz learnt two years ago. In Pakistan, foreign affairs, defence, internal security, atomic weapons etc. and now even finance are no-go areas for the civilian government. Not only this all terrorist organisations like Jaish-e-Mohammad, (JeM), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Harkatul- Ansar (HuA presently known as Harkat-ul Mujahideen), Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT), Harkat-ul Mujahideen (Hum, previously known as Harkatul- Ansar), Harkat-ul-Jehadal- Islam (HUJI), Muttahida Jehad Council (MUC), Jammu & Kashmir National Liberation Army and Al Umar Mujahideen are founded, encouraged, guided, weaponised and controlled by Pakistan’s Establishment.

The Pakistani Establishment has extreme hatred for India and in cantonments and training institutes, India remains the perennial enemy. Mere cosmetic changes and statements as Imran Khan makes regarding the Establishment that “we are on the same page” etc. may temporarily give a good feeling but no substantial gain would be achieved. The Establishment is not going to wither away and seemingly there is no leader likely to come in the near future who can take up cudgels with it. So, the world and especially India have to face the unpleasant reality that a nuclear-armed Pakistani Establishment would rule by proxy in years to come. General Bajwa’s extension would further strengthen and consolidate it.

(The writer is a senior IAS officer of the Punjab cadre)