Military coup in Pakistan by pervasive Musgrave??
Answers
Answered by
1
The Prime Minister of Pakistan fired the powerful army chief Tuesday afternoon, and hours later the army struck back with a swift, apparently bloodless coup. Troops surrounded the Prime Minister's home, closed all the major airports and shut down the state-run television and radio stations for several hours.
At 2:50 A.M. today the army chief, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, addressing the nation on state television in a tone of patriotic earnestness, said the military had ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Government to stop any further politicization or destabilization of the military.
He was apparently referring to Mr. Sharif's efforts to strengthen his hold over the courts and the military, and to his success at pushing through a constitutional amendment that had ended a President's power to dismiss an elected Prime Minister -- a vestige of military rule.
General Musharraf offered no timetable for elections, nor did he say whether he would rule personally or whether the army would install a caretaker government.
''Despite all my advice,'' said the general, neatly attired in a camouflage uniform and wire-rimmed glasses, ''they tried to interfere with the armed forces, the last remaining viable institution in which all of you take so much pride and look up to at all times for stability, unity and integrity of our beloved country.''
[A military spokesman, quoted by Reuters, said Mr. Sharif; his brother Shahbaz, chief minister of Punjab Province, and the intelligence chief, Lieut. Gen. Mohammad Ziauddin, were all taken into ''protective custody.'']
Mr. Sharif's sudden, unexplained decision to fire General Musharraf was risky; in Pakistan, generals have ruled for almost half of its 52 years as an independent nation.
The firing came only a year after Mr. Sharif had replaced another army chief who had sought a greater role for the army and technocrats in running the country.
There was virtually no public protest against the coup, and some demonstrators celebrated Mr. Sharif's demise, including one group near Parliament House in Islamabad, the capital.
Mr. Sharif, whose party won a landslide victory in February 1997, had become increasingly unpopular because of the deteriorating economy and uncontrolled sectarian violence, and because of Mr. Sharif's handling of a crisis over Kashmir.
The military takeover is likely to have serious international repercussions for Pakistan. A State Department spokesman said that if a coup were confirmed, the United States would call for the earliest possible restoration of democracy and would not carry on ''business as usual'' with Pakistan.
India, too, voiced ''grave concern'' and placed its military on high alert along the border.
The deepening political crisis in Pakistan raises new questions about the prospects for restarting peace talks with India. These two new nuclear powers, bitter antagonists who have fought three wars, edged close a fourth this summer over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Relations between Mr. Sharif and the military had soured over his handling of the Kashmir conflict. India fought intensely this summer to drive out infiltrators who had crossed from Pakistan to occupy Indian-held portions of Kashmir, a Himalayan territory both Pakistan and India want for their own.
After meeting with President Clinton in July, Mr. Sharif had called for the withdrawal of the infiltrators, who Western analysts now believe were mainly Pakistani soldiers. Army leaders, including General Musharraf, saw the withdrawal as a capitulation to American pressure, the abandonment of a rare military victory over India and a humiliation of the army.
Still, the timing of the coup was curious. Only two weeks ago, apparently attempting to quash rumors about a clash with military leaders, Mr. Sharif stated that the general would complete his term. It is not clear whether something happened since then that inspired Mr. Sharif's abrupt decision to fire General Musharraf, who was in Sri Lanka when he was dismissed.
The drama began to unfold just a few hours after the state news service reported at about 5 P.M. on Tuesday that General Musharraf was being immediately retired.
Troops began moving through Islamabad. They seized the Cabinet building and climbed over the fence around the television station. All flights were canceled as the troops took over the major airports.
General Musharraf said in his speech that as he tried to return to Pakistan from Sri Lanka, his commercial flight, short of fuel, was ordered to land outside of Pakistan, endangering the lives of all the passengers.
''Thanks be to Allah, this evil design was thwarted through speedy army action,'' said the general, whose flight landed in Karachi.
Mr. Sharif's home was cordoned off and the road to it blocked. There were also reports that the Information Minister, Mushahid Hussain; the Foreign Minister, Sartaj Aziz, and the Kashmir Affairs Minister, Majid Malik, were under house arrest.
At 2:50 A.M. today the army chief, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, addressing the nation on state television in a tone of patriotic earnestness, said the military had ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Government to stop any further politicization or destabilization of the military.
He was apparently referring to Mr. Sharif's efforts to strengthen his hold over the courts and the military, and to his success at pushing through a constitutional amendment that had ended a President's power to dismiss an elected Prime Minister -- a vestige of military rule.
General Musharraf offered no timetable for elections, nor did he say whether he would rule personally or whether the army would install a caretaker government.
''Despite all my advice,'' said the general, neatly attired in a camouflage uniform and wire-rimmed glasses, ''they tried to interfere with the armed forces, the last remaining viable institution in which all of you take so much pride and look up to at all times for stability, unity and integrity of our beloved country.''
[A military spokesman, quoted by Reuters, said Mr. Sharif; his brother Shahbaz, chief minister of Punjab Province, and the intelligence chief, Lieut. Gen. Mohammad Ziauddin, were all taken into ''protective custody.'']
Mr. Sharif's sudden, unexplained decision to fire General Musharraf was risky; in Pakistan, generals have ruled for almost half of its 52 years as an independent nation.
The firing came only a year after Mr. Sharif had replaced another army chief who had sought a greater role for the army and technocrats in running the country.
There was virtually no public protest against the coup, and some demonstrators celebrated Mr. Sharif's demise, including one group near Parliament House in Islamabad, the capital.
Mr. Sharif, whose party won a landslide victory in February 1997, had become increasingly unpopular because of the deteriorating economy and uncontrolled sectarian violence, and because of Mr. Sharif's handling of a crisis over Kashmir.
The military takeover is likely to have serious international repercussions for Pakistan. A State Department spokesman said that if a coup were confirmed, the United States would call for the earliest possible restoration of democracy and would not carry on ''business as usual'' with Pakistan.
India, too, voiced ''grave concern'' and placed its military on high alert along the border.
The deepening political crisis in Pakistan raises new questions about the prospects for restarting peace talks with India. These two new nuclear powers, bitter antagonists who have fought three wars, edged close a fourth this summer over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Relations between Mr. Sharif and the military had soured over his handling of the Kashmir conflict. India fought intensely this summer to drive out infiltrators who had crossed from Pakistan to occupy Indian-held portions of Kashmir, a Himalayan territory both Pakistan and India want for their own.
After meeting with President Clinton in July, Mr. Sharif had called for the withdrawal of the infiltrators, who Western analysts now believe were mainly Pakistani soldiers. Army leaders, including General Musharraf, saw the withdrawal as a capitulation to American pressure, the abandonment of a rare military victory over India and a humiliation of the army.
Still, the timing of the coup was curious. Only two weeks ago, apparently attempting to quash rumors about a clash with military leaders, Mr. Sharif stated that the general would complete his term. It is not clear whether something happened since then that inspired Mr. Sharif's abrupt decision to fire General Musharraf, who was in Sri Lanka when he was dismissed.
The drama began to unfold just a few hours after the state news service reported at about 5 P.M. on Tuesday that General Musharraf was being immediately retired.
Troops began moving through Islamabad. They seized the Cabinet building and climbed over the fence around the television station. All flights were canceled as the troops took over the major airports.
General Musharraf said in his speech that as he tried to return to Pakistan from Sri Lanka, his commercial flight, short of fuel, was ordered to land outside of Pakistan, endangering the lives of all the passengers.
''Thanks be to Allah, this evil design was thwarted through speedy army action,'' said the general, whose flight landed in Karachi.
Mr. Sharif's home was cordoned off and the road to it blocked. There were also reports that the Information Minister, Mushahid Hussain; the Foreign Minister, Sartaj Aziz, and the Kashmir Affairs Minister, Majid Malik, were under house arrest.
Answered by
0
Answer:
1999 military takeover in Pakistan was a bloodless coup d'état initiated by the military staff at the Joint Staff HQ working under Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Pervez Musharraf seized the control of the civilian government of publicly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 12 October 1999 ...
Explanation:
Similar questions