Challenges
The challenges Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa faces are formidable. A few years ago, the militant threat seemed to be dangerously on the rise and the state appeared powerless to stop them. The situation with India, while far from perfect, was not the danger it has now become. Things are a bit different for the now. Militant groups are still able to launch devastating attacks but they control only a fraction of the territory they were occupying in 2013 while India looms larger on the threat radar. Bajwa’s job is going to be to consolidate the gains made during Raheel Sharif’s tenure. He will have to ensure that the TTP and its offshoots – as well as new entrants like the Islamic State – are not able to regroup and re-establish safe havens in the tribal areas. That will also mean greater focus on providing security at possible militant targets. Bajwa will also have to oversee the rehabilitation of IDPs who have not been given the promised funds to rebuild their destroyed home. This is something that both the civilian rulers and the military leadership of the state must address. Even if the results of such work may not be immediately visible – as they are with spectacular military operations – the task is equally crucial. A modern army is not just about fighting and the state has to show it can do the job of rebuilding along with the necessary task of fighting terror.
Over on the eastern front, Bajwa will have an equally tricky challenge. In his brief comments to the media after the change of command ceremony at the Army Hockey Stadium in Rawalpindi, Bajwa said that he expected the situation on the Line of Control to settle down soon. While he did not explain in detail the source of his optimism, we share it in the form of hope. As much as Pakistan may hope for peace along the boundary with India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not at the moment seem to share a vision for peace. The new army chief can expect to have his mettle tested by more Indian provocations. He will also have to protect the border with Afghanistan, both to prevent infiltration of militants from the Afghan side and to guard against the routine Afghan allegations that Taliban attacks on their territory have been carried out from Pakistan. Even though Pakistan seems more stable now than it has in recent times, there is always a new problem lurking around the corner. There are many unknowns Bajwa may have to deal with. We cannot know if the CPEC will proceed without any security incidents nor do we know if President Donald Trump will carry on providing military aid. Pakistan needs intelligent and mature leadership both from the military and the civilian setup to ensure it does not lose ground internationally. We hope General Bajwa will be able to ignore media hysterics calculated for effect and live up to his reputation as a professional soldier by staying out of politics and focusing on ensuring Pakistan’s internal and external security.
Test collapse
It seems like déjà vu all over again. Just when even the more ardent of Pakistan cricket’s critics were getting convinced that the national team has been transformed into a winning unit in the Test format under the leadership of Misbah-ul-Haq, we had a major debacle in New Zealand this week. Pakistan, who have not lost a Test series against the Black Caps in three decades, crumbled against the home team’s potent pace attacks to lose both the Tests by convincing margins. It was a major disappointment considering that hopes were high after Pakistan’s highly credible 2-2 draw against England in England in the summer. But it has happened before. Time and time, Pakistan have exhibited their potential by beginning a winning spree only to return to their old ways where the team messes up things to lose matches. There were signs of a slump when Pakistan surprisingly fell to a below-par West Indian team in Sharjah early November. Though it was a dead rubber as Pakistan had already sealed the three-match series by winning the first two Tests convincingly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the loss against the Caribbean side did raise a few eyebrows. But even then few had expected Pakistan to get assailed the way they did on greentops in Christchurch and Hamilton. Most of Pakistan’s batsmen including the seasoned Younis Khan seemed completely at sea facing the likes of Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and debutant Colin de Grandhomme during the two-Test series. Even Pakistan’s pace attack, regarded among the best in the world, failed to impress much especially in the second and final Test.
What happened in New Zealand should serve as a wake-up call for Pakistan, who will be facing a resurging Australian team in a three-Test series which will get underway with a much-anticipated day-nighter in Brisbane from December 15. Head coach Mickey Arthur will have to quickly find ways and means to help his charges regain their confidence otherwise Pakistan will find it tough to counter Australia, a team that will be looking to compensate for its recent series loss against South Africa by taming Pakistan. A positive development for Pakistan will be the return of Misbah, who missed the final Test in New Zealand. The captain should succeed in raising the team’s morale which must be running low following the thrashing that the tourists received in New Zealand. Pakistan have slumped from number two to four in the ICC Test rankings and need to bounce back. Whether they can do it in Australia, which has seldom been a happy hunting ground for Pakistan in the past, remains to be seen.