Blessing in Disguise

I have always vigorously opposed military’s interference in political matters and have been a vocal critic of its intervening role. Interestingly, with the reinstallation of a [quasi] civilian rule, completion of the protracted electoral process, past the Senate elections, I have nevertheless revised my opinion. Now, I am of an unorthodox view that the current stint of [explicit] management of our mighty generals would eventually turn out to be the most auspicious episode for the foothold of democracy in Pakistan. This conclusion stems not from any ideological metamorphosis, but from its opposite.

Let me elaborate.

The emerging consensus among the masses that the prevailing social, political and judicial apartheid in Pakistan, imposed by the khakis at gunpoint, has to be done away with for moving forward, is nothing less than a divine blessing for the [political] future of Pakistan. Thankfully, it is finally getting obvious even to the “silent majority” that the military is a problem, in most cases the root cause, not at all an answer to our countless socio-political predicaments.

It owes to the last “reluctant” take over in the name of “supreme national interests” that the part being played by the intelligence outfits to manipulate the political process has been exposed in an unprecedented fashion. With all due thanks to the “October Revolution”, it has become clear to all and sundry that our security agencies, instead of snapping terrorists, intercepting real culprits, have always been preoccupied with bribing, beguiling politicians -- with state resources.

Duly reporting by the print media about the military officers, who ought to be completely apolitical, caught with pants down while pressurising one, coercing the other and rewarding the third [politician, civil servant, member of judiciary] for fulfilling their own nefarious plans, has not only shoved the insatiable lust for power and perks of the top brass out in the open but also unambiguously established that our security apparatus has gone berserk boasting an agenda of its own, far away from its designated sphere of responsibilities.

Significantly, partly because of the technological developments and the [resulting] inability to choke the flow of information, even ordinary apolitical people too could, for the first time, observe the arrogance, high-handedness and malice of the military high command. The ongoing mockery of the Constitution and much-hyped accountability, overnight elevation of documented defaulters to “patriot” ministers, brazen trading of “conscience”, weird transformation of proclaimed absconders from pronounced “anti-state traitors” to occupants of constitutional posts, shameless journey from idealism to pragmatism, are there for everyone to witness.

Previously, the unwritten code of conduct for Pakistani journalists was to never delve into, still less to criticize the “defenders of our geographical and ideological frontiers”. To comment on misdemeanour(s) of defence personnel in newspapers was almost unimaginable, disclosing their identities was not an option. The camouflage term “ member(s) of a sensitive organisation”, national media outlets were forced to employ while covering incidents directly/indirectly involving military officers, still haunts the memory. In short, the undeclared working policy of the press was to keep low profile vis-à-vis khakis, let alone filing irksome investigative reports about them.

Mercifully, not anymore -- strange things have been happening since October 1999. We have started dissecting the past and to our amusement scrutinizing, particularly military affairs, in a manner that was almost undreamt of only few years back ­- a long due requirement for fair and rational analysis of the national issues. Succinctly, to question the army’s monopoly over power and patriotism is no longer a sacrilegious offence in the land of pure. And even if it is, as khakis would like to, except a handful of like-minded stooges not many are getting browbeaten or willing to extend blind acquiescence.

The burgeoning popular outrage due to the never-ending iniquitous shenanigans emanating from the martial headquarters, and incessant wrecking of the political process in the country under one pretext or the other, will soon become the most potent weapon against military occupation. A deep strain of anger that has started surfacing among Pakistanis is really a nice omen for taming the holy cow, white elephant and the black sheep, all in one – military.

Moreover, as we all know, it was not in the jurisdiction of any civilian head of government to allow stunning revelations of massive sleaze and mismanagement in defence deals to surface and/or doubt the flawless “internal auditing mechanisms” of the armed forces. Reports from the Auditor-General of Pakistan that billions of dollars have been siphoned off by star officers in shady defence procurement deals during the last decade alone (in addition to “by the book” bounties) would have remained buried for many more years to come had not Nawaz Sharif “hijacked” that fateful flight from Colombo. Military establishment will have to work hard to evade public review of its game now onwards.

Similarly, I can bet that few ordinary mortals had an idea of the astounding scale of emoluments being stashed away by the corps commanders or rightly said “crore-commanders” in our beloved Pakistan before Oct 1999. Abrasive discussions about one dozen prime urban plots each to every star officer, batteries of orderlies, batmen, chauffeurs, gardeners, butlers, caddies ordained for their khidmat along with other preposterous perks and privileges, all at public expense, came to the public arena with the last “conquest”.

The overt coup makes it difficult for the military to defy the legitimate authority holders without exposing itself to internal tensions and institutional flaws. For example, no civilian government would have dared to release the HRC report even in the given circumstances. At the helm, the GHQ was left with no option but to verify the authenticity of the India Today’s scoop and thereby put the (painful) record straight.

The past three years have indeed contributed a lot in quashing several myths and opened many closed doors. Rest assured, this process will further intensify in coming days when the so-called constitutional mutilations will be put to legislative test, and “deals” will be dilated upon in the House. In stark contrast to past, this time around, junta wouldn’t be able to enjoy power without shouldering the responsibilities, in full.

In the same manner, dispelling hyper-inflated myths regarding the effectiveness and gallantry of our martial leaders, a vital prerequisite for attaining a judicious balance of power in state running, was (sadly) out of the reach of politicians. Insider help was indispensable for this task and the much-needed assistance popped up by appointing a new COAS. Hats off for the legendary swiftness of the Brigade 111(the one that spearheads securing of the Constitutional Avenue during coups).

And if there was still any doubt left, performance of the national sports teams, led by serving generals, law and order situation, economical hardships for a common man, financial health of the WAPDA, KESC, PIA, etc., after years of military management, shameless treatment being meted out to peasants demanding their rights, have done the job.

In fact, we should be grateful to Allah Almighty that military itself is in the driving seat at present, when multi-dimensional security threats are lined up against the country because of American war of terror. The generals would have declared the civilian government a “security risk” had it followed the exactly same course of action, the one adopted by Pakistan’s first commando President to tackle the post 9/11 crises. A contingency plan would have set in motion by the ISI a long time ago to “neutralize” the collaborators, stirring up inopportune domestic political problems as well.

No civilian government, regardless of the “heaviness” of its mandate, could quash the vicious nexus of madrassa/maulvi and the GHQ. Courtesy George W Bush, the chief proprietors of the deadly formation themselves left with no choice but to acknowledge the phenomenon as a grave danger for the sovereignty of the country and a hinder for the well being of the society. Nothing to be worried about now, the Pentagon will ensure the containment of the menace -- one way or the other.

I am pretty sure the IMF and the World Bank too shares my fervour and feeling of elation for the current power holders. Why not they, these organisations have yet to come across (literally) more obedient beggars. As all of our military messiahs had always had special inclinations to serve American interests, counting the US here would be superfluous over here.

Perhaps, among the most remarkable improvements by the virtue of Musharraf regime is the encouraging phenomenon of venturing beyond the classical excuse “Indian conspiracy” to identify causes of our tragedies and failures. As a consequence, it wouldn’t be an erroneous claim that the takeover by Musharraf & Co was one of the most propitious episodes in our chequered history. The unanticipated consequences, if not the expected effects of the military coup on Oct 12, 1999 augur a bright future for the nation.

Finally, I am tempted to quote from Abraham Lincoln’s 1st inaugural address. “This country, with its constitutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it. “ A leader with guts, gal and moral uprightness, to solemnly and sincerely pledge these words, is my dream for Pakistan. Will it ever come true?