AN army chief disowning the actions of his subordinate/s in the line of duty is an extraordinary phenomenon. In an application to the Supreme Court, which had asked him to clarify his role in what came to be known as Mehrangate, Gen (retd) Aslam Beg said he had “knowledge” of the affair but was not involved in the disbursement of money to certain politicians to manipulate the 1990 elections. More astonishingly, the former army chief said he had no control over the ISI. He may be technically correct as officially the latter is under the prime minister, but the reality in Pakistan, as he knows, is different. An army’s various formations are answerable to its chief. Were different units to operate on their own, the army would turn into a political party rather than be a fighting force. No army can operate in war and peace without the intelligence agencies serving as its eyes and ears. Thus for Mr Beg to attempt to dissociate himself from the ISI defies common sense and brings ridicule to the office of the chief of staff of one of the world’s largest standing armies.

Years before Assad Durrani, a retired ISI chief, submitted his affidavit to the SC, giving details of the money gifted to some politicians with a view to creating a pro-army, pro-Ghulam Ishaq Khan alliance, Mr Beg had gone public with his disclosure about the money illegally obtained from the now defunct Mehran Bank and given to some of Pakistan’s most corrupt politicians to help create the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad to undermine Benazir Bhutto’s electoral chances. Hamid Gul, another retired ISI chief, also admitted that the establishment led by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan wanted to create “a balance of power” in politics by propping up an anti-PPP alliance. We now leave it to the court to decipher Mr Beg’s rigmarole when he says he “only instructed” Mr Durrani to “maintain” accounts. The court must now also rule on the relationship between the army and ISI chiefs. Can an army chief be exonerated from the doings of its intelligence arm — in military affairs or the dirty world of politics?