It took 25 years longer than George Orwell thought for the slogans of 1984 to be reality. War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. I would add: Lie (or rather lying) is Truth (Paul Craig Roberts; Former Assistant Secretary in the Reagan Administration). Many analysts and columnists have endlessly advocated strong and stringent constitutional restrictions on the Pakistani Armys role in the political affairs of the country. Undoubtedly, the army should stay out of political intervention and interference in the governing process and leave the running of the state to the democratic dispensation. In my article titled Re-inventing the Role (The Nation, December 12, 2007) I issued a warning against any kind of political adventurism by the army generals, however, it is vitally important and absolutely imperative in the national interests of Pakistan to defend the statement issued in the Corps Commanders Conference chaired by General Kayani expressing serious concern on the Kerry-Lugar Bill passed by the US Congress. In the first place, the expression of concern on the said bill is not an intervention in the political process of the country. It is simply institutional input by the military high command in the making of a state policy in which the institution of the army, itself, is most likely to be intentionally targeted and adversely hit by a foreign country. Indeed, the army has a constitutional obligation to express its disapproval of an interstate policy that is directly infringing on the internal structural and management dynamics of a vitally important national institution. The army cannot allow this kind of interference in its internal affairs by a foreign power. The question is: Would the US permit a foreign country to meddle in the affairs of its own armed forces? No, definitely not. Then why should the Pakistani army be subjected to US interference? Even more important are the contextual elements: In the context of the KLB and the nationwide alarm and controversy that the said bill has caused, the army high commands reaction is not only legitimate, it is democratically and morally imperative. After all, Pakistani soldiers, in all their ranks, are citizens of this country. Do we expect them to sit back and let national sovereignty be eroded by the whims of the US administration and have this nation reduced to the level of an absolute client and dependent state - its armed forces hired to do the proxy wars of US-Western neo-imperialism? The answer to this question is no, and every Pakistani citizen understands and supports the armys response to the bill, as they should. More than anything else, the armys expression of serious concern on the said bill has been hailed by the Pakistani nation as an expression of public sentiment where the government has failed, and the opposition parties in Parliament have had a muddled response - until the armys high command went public on this issue. Now, rightfully, the armys reaction is being viewed as an impetus to the beginning of a nationwide publicly supported debate on the very nature of the US-Pakistan military-economic alliance. Last but not least is the fact that the Presidency in Islamabad and the Pakistani ambassador in Washington have wilfully orchestrated a de-facto oligarchic centre of decision-making and political-economic-military management of foreign policy all unto themselves. However, national policy in a democratic set up is made by a consensus of all institutions in the country; on top of that, it must be fundamentally responsive to general public sentiments. Obviously, in present day Pakistan, this has not been happening. But the good news is, thanks to the armys expression of serious concern, the nation will not take it any more. The Pakistani public has reached the end of its patience. This game is about to end There is a storm gathering in the wind People are crying, Foul everywhere, in every inch of Pakistan Listen carefully, if you will They are saying no more of this clandestine, veiled, illicit and manipulative US-Pak alliance politically organised by the vested interests on both sides Isnt it curious that every time the Pakistani nation unites to debate an important national issue, terrorist activities become increasingly bold and vicious? Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that terrorism in this country is funded by external actors interested in the continued destabilisation of this country - prolonging the so-called War on Terror and the prevailing military-economic status quo. Listenthe people of Pakistan are saying: War is not Peace, Freedom is not Slavery, Ignorance is not a Strength, Lying is not TruthStop all of your manipulations I support the armys expression of serious concern to the KLB because it is a window to the sentiments of the Pakistani people and what they are thinking, feeling, saying, and suffering You should support it too The writer is a professor, political analyst and conflict-resolution expert. Email: hl_mehdi@hotmail.com