Across-the-board cleansing
I haven’t been watching news and talk shows on TV channels for a long time. My information about current affairs and political scenario is, therefore, quite outdated and second-hand, based on the posts shared by my friends, mostly veterans, on WhatsApp.
I have noticed that after the Vote of No Confidence against Imran Khan on April 9, 2022, PTI supporters, especially veterans and overseas Pakistanis, have started targeting military establishment, quite indiscreetly, despite being fully aware of the possible negative outcome of their anti-establishment tirade.
Being a seasoned and experienced politician (and a product of military establishment himself), Imran Khan is expected to understand that the anti-establishment policies in any shape, besides causing damage to his party and political career, will serve to strengthen the anti-state groups already active inside Pakistan.
Imran Khan and his advisors should learn from the experience of both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, who had to ultimately secretly compromise with the military establishment after blaming the Army and ISI for their ousting in 1996 and 1999, respectively.
No doubt, the flawed policies of the military top brass coupled with meddling in the political affairs of the country from 1958 onwards, caused a serious damage to the reputation of the Pak Army as an important national institution, yet compared to other national institutions, especially the Judiciary, which stands at an embarrassing 120th position in the world, with regard to its efficiency, the Army, despite meagre resources and budgetary allocations (about 12%, of the annual budget, which is intentionally quoted as over 60% by the anti-Army politicians and media persons), is ranked as the 10th most powerful military force in the world.
The Army is unarguably Pakistan’s mainstay to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against the internal and external threats.
Even the renowned international defence analysts acknowledge the professional competence and unbelievable victory of the Pak Army in the most difficult war in the modern history thrust upon Pakistan, since the USSR invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
Though in my article; “Role of the National Institutions in Resolving the Current Crisis”, published in the Pakistan Observer a couple of weeks ago, I suggested that the Army must disengage itself from the political affairs, immediately, it is not possible for the military establishment to remain aloof from the the political affairs if the individuals, having links with intelligence agencies of the unfriendly countries, continue to use the political platform to hurt our national interests and defence.
In addition to the military establishment, other national institutions, especially the Judiciary and the Election Commission of Pakistan, have equally important roles to ensure that the political platform is not used by the anti-state and anti-Army groups and individuals present among the politicians, journalists, lawyers and judges.
If the concerned national institutions join hands to ensure that such groups and individuals are not allowed to advance their political and personal agenda at the cost of the prestige of the Army and military personnel, the chances of military establishment meddling in the political affairs can be considerably reduced.
While demanding a legal action against the military personnel involved in unlawful activities, the analysts critical to the military personnel seem quite clueless about the accountability system in vogue in the Army.
During my 31-year service in the Army, I had the opportunity to serve at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) for about 13 years in three different tenures.
During service at PMA, I attended countless number of “Assessment Conferences”, that are held before the conclusion of each term, comprising 5 months.
In these 4-tier conference i.e., Term Commander’s (TC), Battalion Commander’s (CO), Chief Instructor’s (CI) and the Commandant’s Conference, besides considering the Gentlemen Cadets (GCs), for different appointments on the basis of their performance in leadership traits, physical efficiency and academic as well as military subjects, relegation and withdrawal of GCs on technical grounds or for showing lack of integrity and discipline are discussed.
However, GCs are withdrawn from PMA immediately if they are found guilty of serious offences like cheating in an examination, showing lack of integrity (found not to be “Sadiq” and “Ameen”), stealing or for involvement in an “Act of Unnatural Kind”.
However, the need to make the accountability system in the Army more effective with a view to completely cleansing it of the undesirable elements cannot be overemphasized.
There is a need to ensure strict implementation of the accountability systems in vogue in other national institutions to ensure across-the-board cleansing at all levels.
The individuals, known to lack integrity and truthfulness should be disqualified from holding a public office under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution of Pakistan, according to which a person cannot be qualified as a member of the national or provincial legislatures if he is not ‘Sadiq and Ameen’ – truthful and trustworthy.
Besides initiating appropriate legal action against the judges guilty of misconduct and giving verdicts in violation of the constitution, due to their personal grudges or bias, the undesirable practice of passing derogatory remarks on the Army and military personnel during hearing of political cases in the courts, also need to be disallowed.
The Army personnel and their families have rendered unspeakable sacrifices during the past four decades to safeguard the sovereignty and freedom of our motherland.
Hundreds of mothers lost their only sons, young girls became widow days after their marriage, children opened eyes in this world after the Shahadat of their fathers and families lost their only bread earners in the war Pakistan is fighting for its survival since the occupation of Afghanistan by the erstwhile USSR in 1979.
Damaging the reputation of the Army for political purposes, which besides hurting the feelings of the families of the Army officers and soldiers who laid their lives while fighting to defend their motherland, amounts to directly weakening the capabilities of Pakistan to defend its freedom and sovereignty, needs to be dealt with strictly in the light of relevant articles of the Manual of Pakistan Military Law.
—The writer is contributing columnist based in Islamabad.
