'Memogate' scandal reveals civil-military splits

Pakistan

'Memogate' scandal reveals civil-military splits

Close

A secret memo showed the widening gulf between civilian government and its army establishment.

18 November,2011 09:33 pm

A secret memo seeking Washingtons help reining in the Pakistani military has brought into sharp relief the tensions between Pakistans shaky civilian government and its powerful army generals. The resulting scandal threatens Pakistans ambassador to the U.S. and perhaps the countrys president.The ambassador, Husain Haqqani, has denied claims he was behind a memo delivered to the U.S. military chief asking for help in installing a new security team in Islamabad that would be friendly to Washington.The memogate scandal is adding to pressures on the already deeply unpopular government. Some analysts have speculated that President Asif Ali Zardari himself could be in danger if charges that he signed off on the memo gain traction.The target is not me, the target is President Zardari and Pakistani democracy, said Haqqani, who has offered to resign over the affair.Though Pakistan has a civilian president, the military retains vast political and economic power. It has ruled Pakistan, directly or indirectly, for most of its six-decade existence, and fiercely resisted attempts by civilian leaders to curb its role.If authentic, the memo would fuel politically toxic charges that the government is colluding with the United States against the interests of the country and its army. Though Washington pumps huge amounts of aid into the country, the U.S. is highly unpopular here. The affair has been whipped up by rightwing critics of the government and those close to the military establishment, which doesnt trust Haqqani.The unsigned memo was sent soon after the May 2 raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a city outside Islamabad and was delivered to Adm. Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer at the time. The bin Laden raid led to intense and highly unusual domestic criticism of the army.A Pakistani English-language newspaper and a Pakistan based website on Friday published the text of the memo. After initially denying any knowledge of the document, Mullens spokesman confirmed he received it but ignored it because it was not credible.The memo promises to allow the U.S. to propose names of officials to investigate bin Ladens presence in Pakistan, facilitate American attempts to target militants like al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri and Taliban chief Mullah Omar and allow the U.S. greater oversight of Pakistans nuclear weapons.The memo also accuses Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani of plotting to bring down the government in the aftermath of the bin Laden assassination. It asks Mullen for his direct intervention with Kayani to stop this.Haqqani denied having anything to do with the note. Still, some say Zardari will have no choice but to dismiss Haqqani, a close ally. Zardaris spokesman said Thursday that the government had not decided what action, if any, to take against the envoy, who has been summoned to Islamabad to explain the scandal.The newspaper also printed what it said were transcripts of Blackberry messenger conversations between Haqqani and Mansoor Ijaz, a U.S. citizen of Pakistani origin who claims to have delivered the memo to Mullen via an intermediary, on the orders of Haqqani.The conversations show Haqqani allegedly discussing the wording of the memo with Ijaz and telling him to go ahead.Ball is in play now. Make sure you have protected your flanks, Ijaz allegedly tells Haqqani after handing over the memo.Some analysts have suggested the affair is a conspiracy cooked up by the military to embarrass the government or remove Haqqani.Ijaz has a history of making claims to be well connected with U.S. politicians. Under the Clinton administration, he said U.S. officials told him Sudan was willing to turn over then-fugitive bin Laden, who was taking refuge there. Ijaz said Clinton National Security Adviser Sandy Berger rejected the deal because he was unwilling to do business with Sudan a claim that Berger immediately denied.Haqqani is a key conduit between two countries that mistrust but need each other. Because the United States and the Zardari government are so unpopular in Pakistan, he attracts flack from all directions. His supporters say he has performed his job well, battling for Pakistans interest during several crises.