When Indian DGMO officially informed his Pakistani counterpart about the cross border surgical attacks, word went out quickly and everybody was expecting the army chief to cancel his visit to the prize distribution ceremony (these prizes included winners for most number of chin ups and sit ups).
After the official press conference by Indian DGMO in New Delhi, the word went out to the civilian leadership of Pakistan as well. Prime minister’s office and the foreign office had no official briefing by then; the only source of information was a message from ISPR which said that two Pakistani soldiers were killed in ceasefire violation.
If a top source in Pakistan’s ruling PMLN is to be believed, it was the Prime Minister’s office which first contacted the COAS after the press conference of Indian DGMO. “A communication was established by Pakistan Prime Minister’s office with the GHQ, Rawalpindi asking if COAS could come to Islamabad and brief the Prime Minister about the events at LoC? The prime minister’s office was conveyed by COAS’ office that COAS would be talking to the prime minister over phone line in next one hour.
After few hours both the Sharif’s did talk to each other over phone. “Prime Minister Sharif however was very keen to meet the Army Chief in person, he was also advised that it would send the right signals if the COAS could come to Islamabad next day and brief the Prime Minister before the scheduled cabinet meeting of Nawaz Sharif but no commitments were given by the COAS ” told the PMLN leader.
“ The prime minister’s office which wanted to put forward a strong and united face was obviously miffed with this open snub by the military leadership of Pakistan, after all it was the army which needed to explain things and not the civilian government which did not have even an iota of information about the developments at LoC” said the source close to Sharif family.
Word spread out about these developments quickly as the civilian leadership went into a huddle. Eventually Pakistan’s NSA Naseer Khan Janjua had to step in to cool the temperature down. NSA Janjua (a retired army general himself) promised the prime minister to submit a comprehensive report on the LoC situation. It was also conveyed to the government that Raheel Sharif would be meeting the delegation of National Assembly on defense production in Rawalpindi as scheduled.
While COAS Raheel Sharif returned to Rawalpindi on Thursday afternoon and he did meet the delegation from National Assembly, the delegation however did not have any of the top ministers of the federal cabinet. Sources confirm that on Thursday evening, a fresh message was sent out from Islamabad to Rawalpindi asking if the Army Chief would be coming to Islamabad on Friday morning before the federal cabinet meeting.
On Friday morning, speculations were on, if Raheel Sharif would be travelling the crucial 20 Km distance between the two offices. Some of the local reporters even claimed that the army chief was coming to brief the entire cabinet however later it was informed that the army chief flew to Lahore to visit a training facility.
Nawaz Sharif, who was already under fire facing criticism from opposition over graft charges, news of surgical strikes, came in as a shocker at a time when opposition PTI was preparing for much anticipated Raiwind march.
“Army chief attended a meet with Prime Minister Sharif in Islamabad a day before strikes and reportedly asked PM to step up the diplomatic offensive against India on Kashmir front, the same Army Chief was found running away when such reports of surgical strikes came in and Nawaz Sharif needed him the most” claimed the same source.
It is worth mentioning that COAS Raheel Sharif is going to complete his tenure next month and despite demands from few quarters, Prime Minister has not shown any willingness to extend his tenure so far. Earlier reports pointed out that the Uri attackers got extensive support from the Pakistan army and took place only after a clearance from military units at a time while Nawaz Sharif was in New York facing the international community at UNGA.
If the gap between two Sharifs continues to widen, it is unlikely that the civilian government would be giving any extension to the current COAS. Raheel Sharif enjoys a celebrity status across Pakistan, often claimed to be more popular than any politician in Pakistan.
Those who know him personally recall his personal grudge against the Indian state; “Sharif lost his uncle and brother in 1965 and 1971 wars against India and the latest surgical strikes are the latest wound he cannot retire with” claimed a former Army officer who served with the 6th Battalion of the Frontier Force Regiment.