"The military's involvement in Pakistan's politics has always been questioned. But never before has it faced such severe criticism by members of the public, as it is doing now for its role in the relief operation. From Muzaffarabad and Bagh in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to Balakot in the country's northern region, people have been accusing the army of failing to come to their help in their time of real need. The criticism was quite sharp in the first couple ofdays. But even after the relief goods started to arrive and rescue teams launched a major drive to find possible survivors, many of the victims' families are saying it is too little - and certainly too late."
Musharraf has been frequently touring the affected areas, but has been accused of visiting only the injured military personnel and avoiding the civilian victims, lest he become the target of their anger. There has been growing criticism of him in the Pakistani army at the lower and middle levels. The Hizbut Tehrir (HUT) has reportedly been circulating pamphlets in the military barracks, accusing him of being more interested inprotecting American lives in Afghanistan than in protecting Pakistani lives in the POK and theNWFP.
Next to the Punjabis and the Pashtuns, Kashmiris from the POK and the Northern Areas (Gilgit and Baltistan) constitute the third largest component in the Pakistan Army. Unhappiness amongst them over the perceived failure of Musharraf and his officers to protect their relatives in the POK could add to the threats to Musharraf's personal security.
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B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Distinguished Fellow, International Terrorism Watch Programme, Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and convenor of its Chennai Chapter.
