Eid this year was a lacklustre event for me as my thoughts kept returning to the war against militancy and terror, and how our unworthy politicians were busy stoking an internal situation instead of generating domestic harmony so that our courageous soldiers could bring the conflict to its logical conclusion.
I often tell friends and colleagues that our political culture has become so thoroughly rotten that it smells worse than a putrid carcass. There are a few political figures amongst my acquaintances - and this number is dwindling, as I have begun cold shouldering them. My attitude stems from the fact that these gentlemen (if they can be called that) have been enslaved by the seven deadly sins and having succumbed to the devil, now hold their personal interest above everything else – even the future of Pakistan.
Latest developments are ample proof of what I am saying. Mr. Tahirul Qadri’s call for a revolution; Imran Khan’s threatened tsunami in the Federal Capital on (of all days) the 14th of August, and use of Article 245 by the Government to deter the PTI sit in, make up the whole mad scenario.
People with political savviness (not politicians) in Islamabad, are cautiously saying things which if true, will have horrific implications. When Article 245 was invoked, popular opinion said that the government was dragging the armed forces into the political cauldron without considering the consequences of this move. This point of view has now changed to a more sinister perspective, raising a set of new and relevant questions. What will happen if our soldiers come face to face with agitators? What will happen if the crowd refuses to back away? Will the Army use force on its own countrymen? Are the men in uniform and our most credible institution being deliberately pushed into a situation, where they will become scapegoats if anything goes violently wrong, leaving the political leadership in the clear? An old friend even went so far as to suggest that all this was perhaps part of the grudge that the Party in power holds against Musharraf and the institution that he represents. If the above speculation is correct, then my sincere advice to the Prime Minister is to pay heed to those within his Party, who are advising him to keep the Army out of events planned for Independence Day. Refusal to do so is likely to have grave consequences for the country and will never be forgiven by history.
On the other side, I would entreat the Chairman of the PTI to pull back from his decision to march on the Federal Capital till the war against militancy and terror is successfully done with. The decision to do so may have repercussions from the hawks within his Party, but history will prove that the right decision was taken.
I have great respect for Sheikh Rashid. He is a passionate Pakistani, who has evolved from the grass root level - unlike a vast majority of our leadership. I am however disappointed with him for turning a blind eye to things which are more critical than running around in a bid to generate street power and bring down the government. I thought that Sheikh Sahib was savvy enough to understand that we are in a state of war and wars can only be successfully culminated if they have the nation’s whole hearted backing. I would urge the gentleman concerned to put his ‘tumble weed’ activity on hold till this war is over.
Most of all, I urge the country’s apex court to intervene and order a reopening of the four disputed elections results, for if this is not a case worth suo moto cognizance, then what is. By doing so, the judiciary will not only earn the nation’s undying respect, but will go down in our national history as saviours of Pakistan.
The writer is a freelance columnist.