The weather has changed. Spring is in the air. A lot of things are happening: Small and big.
School teachers, politicians, civil servants, police, army officers, intelligence agencies, the Election Commission, civil society representative bodies, corporations and even the Prime Minister, are in the news. The media is spotlighting all kinds of acts of omission and commission. And the higher judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, is monitoring and hauling up all sorts of law-breakers and evil-doers. It is, indeed, the muckraking season and a time for accountability!
The Chief of Army Staff, who has earned appreciation for restraint and resisting the temptation to grab political power, is unhappy at the opening up of old cases of the military’s involvement in making and breaking political groups. Perhaps, he would not like the military intelligence agencies to be exposed and criticised. Nobody should belittle the sterling services of the armed forces and ignore the tremendous sacrifices of the jawans and the commanders. At the same time, one need not shy away from a review of conduct unbecoming of a soldier in violation of the supreme law of the land. A presumed understanding of national interest cannot permit the doing of something manifestly wrong and unlawful.
It needs to be stressed that most of the ills of this hapless country owe their origin to the disruption of the political process starting from the 1958 martial law. The politician was denigrated and even demonised. The Constitution was subverted. Power concentrated in the GHQ and the idea of people’s representation was distorted and abused. The eastern wing of the country was disempowered. It did not take long for a revolt, which was unabashedly capitalised by a hostile India. Nobody, today, talks about the Hamood-ur-Rehman Report! In the early days of Bhutto’s government, the demoralised armed forces were somewhat subdued. Their deployment for political purposes and administration’s excesses, however, renewed their spirits and when the people in parts of the country came out in the streets against the manipulation of election results, it did not take long for the handpicked Army Chief to take over the reins of political power. After Zia, his successor decided not to follow his example. He, however, confined himself to exercise influence from behind-the-scene, by remote control. He used various ways to safeguard the “national interest” that he thought was being subverted. This is how the Mehrangate came into being. Barring an exception in the person of General Waheed Kakar, the succeeding Army Chiefs one way or the other throughout the 90s used their clout in shaping security and foreign policies, and also taking steps to feather the military’s nest. General Pervez Musharraf did the maximum damage. Not only did he sabotage the political institutions for selfish reasons, but also turned the country practically into an American colony by starting a war in the forbidden FATA territories and letting Pentagon use our land and air space for their operations against Afghanistan and terrorists in Pakistan. To placate India, he went to the length of agreeing to set aside the UN resolutions on Kashmir. His worst acts included:
i The killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, igniting another and more lethal round of insurgency in Balochistan.
i The catching of Pakistanis and handing them over to the Americans for making a quick buck.
i Abrogating the Constitution, along with a shameful attempt to destroy the higher judiciary, and the equally horrible act of promulgating a black law called NRO in cahoots with Washington to midwife a government, whitewashing corruption and crimes committed by the PPP, MQM and some other political players. (His disgraceful exit and exile has not yet awakened him to the terrible harm he has done to Pakistan’s national institutions.)
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani should welcome the opportunity to fully abide by the constitutional imperative of keeping himself and his intelligence agencies totally away from political affairs. Of course, as a member of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet his valuable advice should be given due attention and importance.
Both Mehrangate and Memogate are bound to help cleanse the polluted corridors of power and establish the majesty of the rule of law and supremacy of the Supreme Court.
The higher courts are presently doing a historic job to take notice of the administration’s excesses and aberrations. Imagine what kind of conditions would have prevailed, if a Dogar court had somehow continued to dispense justice and if Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had not stood up to say “no” to an arrogant military commander.
Today, the Supreme Court is working day in and day out to bring to book corrupt and incompetent government functionaries. But for its proactive suo moto initiatives, the Railways and the Steel Mills would have been things of the past - an irreparable wreckage of the bygone glory. The administration has done its best to destroy these national assets.
Two forces - one judicial and the other the media, especially the TV channels - have emerged as the guardians of the rights of people and national interests. Had the TV camera not caught the stinging slaps of Waheeda Shah, she would have remained unpunished and firmly in occupation of her Assembly seat. If the court had not acted quickly to cancel the MPA’s bail, who had broken a teacher’s legs for sticking to his rightful stand, he would still be twirling his moustache all set to use his violent force to take care of more upright government employees. Rightly has the Supreme Court taken up the cause of the civil servants, who are treated like low level domestic servants. It is time the government decided to reintroduce laws and rules providing legal protection to its employees.
Mr Bhutto with all his brilliance and liberal ideas took the wrong step of abolishing the Civil Service of Pakistan, unlike India where IAS has been retained and strengthened to buttress the federation sinews and provide excellent services at the local and national levels.
Pakistan presently is facing horrendous internal and external challenges saddled as it is with a tainted and vulnerable central government. Tremendous responsibility has come to devolve on the judiciary, the media, the civil society, as well as the spirited and well meaning politicians like Imran Khan and Shahbaz Sharif to rise and ensure that Pakistan meets the challenges posed by Washington, Kabul and India with sagacity, firmness and dignity.
Pakistan has to be saved from the corrupt and incompetent ruling elite, and it must be stopped from doing more damage to the country and the agonised masses.
Above all, an uninterrupted political process must continue.
The writer is an ex-federal secretary and ambassador, and political and international relations analyst.
Email: pacade@brain.net.pk