Military's financial corruption Critics of the army say that the dismissal of six army officers cannot sufficiently address the issue of military's massive financial corruption, which usually goes unnoticed. The Pakistani military keeps a lion's share of the country's budget and is not answerable to the civilian government over its expenditures, they say. Rights activists also assert that the fact that the army chief removed officers over corruption charges is proof that the military is not a "holy cow" as many in the country would like to believe. "The corruption in the Pakistani military is as rampant as in any other state institution," Arif Jamal, a US-based Islamism and security analyst, told DW. "The army is involved in the smuggling of oil and narcotics through the borders of the western Balochistan province. The military also makes money through its checkpoints in the restive province. All drivers have to bribe the officers to pass through these posts. These are just a few examples," Jamal added. Farooq Tariq, a leader of the socialist Awami Workers Party, claims the military's financial corruption goes beyond Balochistan: "The Pakistani army is involved in all spheres of the economy. It is running businesses all across the country, from marriage halls to factories, and from banks and insurance companies to dairy farms. Does the constitution allow this? Isn't it corruption as well," questioned Tariq. "We must not forget that while people are celebrating General Sharif's 'resolve against corruption,' his army is cracking down on poor farmers in the Punjab's Okara region, trying to dispose them of their lands. Hundreds of cases have been registered against the military officers, yet the civilian administration has no authority to even interrogate them," Tariq said. According to Tauseef Ahmed, an Islamabad-based political analyst, the military's financial corruption is no secret, but it is impossible for the civilian government to take action against army officers. "Some time ago, Senator Farhatullah Babar told the Senate about 20 companies that are being run by the army. The Supreme Court passed a judgment against the army-administered Defense Housing Authority for encroaching lands across the country," Ahmed told DW. "In Karachi, the military-run Faziya housing scheme pumped millions of rupees into advertisements, prompting people to invest in housing. Later, the people lost all their money as it turned out that the land only existed on papers," Ahmed added. Above the law? The activists also decry the Pakistani military's alleged lack of respect for the rule of law. Last month, former military dictator, Pervez Musharraf, who is facing multiple charges in Pakistani courts, was allowed to leave the country to seek medical treatment abroad. Considering the nature of the cases against Musharraf, it should not have been that easy for him to exit Pakistan. The former general is accused of treason, and involvement in the 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Analysts say it all comes down to the fact that Musharraf was a former military chief, and it was just a matter of time before he would be sent abroad. Pakistani supporters of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf shout slogans as they hold banners with images of Musharraf outside a special court set up to try Musharraf during a hearing in Islamabad on March 11, 2014 (Photo: AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images) Pervez Musharraf ruled the country from 1999 to 2007 "The military does not want to set a precedent where its officers are held accountable by the civilians," Usman Qazi, an Islamabad-based UN adviser, told DW. "How can General Raheel Sharif talk about accountability of politicians when his own institution supported Musharraf whole-heartedly, facilitating his way out of the country?" Ahmed underlined. Analyst Jamal finds a silver-lining for the politicians in the whole situation. "The good thing about the dismissal of the army officers is that General Sharif's decision establishes that there is a lot of corruption in the Pakistani military," he said, adding that for the sake of transparency, the Pakistani military must give official details about each officer who were sacked. "The punishments like dismissal from service or premature retirement with all privileges for proven corruption are too little and too late. For similar crimes, the politicians have been sent to jail. Former President Asif Ali Zardari spent many years behind bars for the alleged crimes that the military could never prove." Additional reporting by Sattar Khan, DW's correspondent in Islamabad.