UNHAPPY with the criticism directed at the Pakistan Army in recent days, Gen Kayani has been quoted in a section of the media as having said that the morale of the troops is being affected. This on the same day that a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry suggested that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies were overstepping their domain and the National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution calling for fresh legislation to regulate the role and function of the intelligence and security agencies. To the extent that Gen Kayani was referring to the heroic efforts of Pakistani soldiers in fighting militancy in harsh and unforgiving terrain being undermined by the perceived lack of public support for the Pakistan Army, he may have a point. In an extremely tough fight against a tenacious foe, the army chief is right to call on the country to pull together.

However, from the context and substance of Gen Kayani’s remarks it appears the military chief is upset by what ought to qualify as very legitimate criticism of the army and its intelligence arms: the issue of the disappearances and deaths of dissidents, the ISI’s unconstitutional and illegal role in politics, and the army’s behind-the-scenes influence on the democratic process. This is unfortunate. History hangs heavy over the Pakistan Army. For decades, it has directly and indirectly influenced the direction of the state far beyond its official remit and treated all other institutions, be it parliament or the superior judiciary, as subordinate. To criticise the army leadership when it overreaches and to demand accountability of those who have violated the constitution and the law of the land is to rise to the defence of democracy and constitutional order, not to undermine the institution.

Perhaps Gen Kayani should reflect on events over the full course of his tenure as army chief so far, and not just the recent past. After becoming COAS he withdrew the army from a direct and decisive role in politics and refocused the institution under his command on its core duty: protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan from external and internal threats. And for that Gen Kayani was praised by the very sections of the media and society that he is now criticising. What changed is that controversies like ‘memogate’ and the emergence of the Difaa-i-Pakistan Council on the political front were matched by failures like May 2 and the PNS Mehran attack on the security front. When the army does the job it is mandated to do, the country salutes it. When it dabbles in areas outside its constitutional domain, it rightfully attracts criticism.