MOHAMMAD JAMIL
ON Wednesday, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa called for national unity in the fight against Covid-19, as the Commander of Army’s Air DefenceCommand,LtGeneralHamood-uz-ZamanKhan,was designated as convener of the newly-established National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The NCOC would act as the implementation arm of the NCC. The COAS said that all necessary measures to ensure public safety are being taken. Troops on ground must reach out to citizens in every nook and corner of Pakistan not only to protect them against this pandemic but also for bringing comfort in this hour of distress.According to the ISPR, the forum was briefed about the latest situation on containment efforts and enforcementmeasures againsttheCOVID19 and troops deployment across the country assisting federal and provincial administrations in aid of civil power including reaching out to vulnerable people. It is unfortunate that despite the looming threat to human life from Covid-19, ruling and opposition parties continue to politicize the pandemic. PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Asssembly Shahbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting should be held on a daily basis, which is not understandable. He added: “It is the federal government’s apathy and criminal act to neglect the provinces under such circumstances. The government has no strategy to deal with the effects of lockdown; till the government will understand the trend of Corona Virus, it will be too late”. Of course, this criticism is unwarranted. PPP leaders also accused the government of inadequate measures. PPP also expressed reservations on PM Imran Khan’s announcement of creating a Tiger Force from PTI ranks, which it believed is a tantamount to making a political gain out of the unfortunate situation. The PM should avoid statements that provide an opportunity to the opposition to lambaste the government despite its best efforts to fight the Corona Virus. Imran Khan is right in saying that PPP and PML-N governments were responsible for economic mess they created. But being PrimeMinister of Pakistan Imran Khan should be gracious to ignore their criticism, as this is the only activity they have. By extending the lockdown for another two weeks, the government has taken the right step. Anyhow, the ruling and opposition parties must pay heed to what COAS GeneralBajwa has suggested.They should remember what Sallust, Roman historian, one of the great Latin literary stylist and a great philosopher, said: “By union the smallest statesthrive.By discordthe greatest are destroyed.” In 1965 war with India, the nation stood united, and the result was that Pakistan could frustrate the designs of India. And, of course, the nation stood united in its war against terrorism, and with its support the armed forces could decimate the infrastructure and network of the terrorists. The armed forces of Pakistan vow to fight the Novel Corona Virus and have pledged support to the civilian authorities to save the compatriots from the pandemic. In 2009, despite some reservations expressed by a few of the relatively smaller parties and groups, the All Parties Conference had succeeded in adopting a joint declaration which, in essence, supported government’s efforts to restore peace and constitutional rule in the troubled region of Malakand and beyond. The APC attended by leaders of 43 major political and religious parties had discussed in detail the situation arising out of the activities of militants and extremists in parts of the NWFP that forced the government to undertake military action. Two days before the APC, the then Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had in an in-camera briefing told political leaders about the gravity of the situation. In fact the die was cast when he said that there was no going back on the military operation against militants till its logical conclusion. He had added that a swift action had been launched to flush out extremists from Swat and other parts of Malakand Division. In a five-hour long briefing military leadership had also reassured political leadership that Pakistan Army would continue its presence at border with India and no guarantee from international community would be accepted for showing laxity on eastern borders. Under then COAS General Raheel Sharif, the Army had started moving on 13 June, Zarb-eAzb operation was officially launched on 15 June 2014. Within one year, it had unprecedented successes – killing and arresting thousands of terrorists and destroying their infrastructure and network. Within one year after the start of operation, 2,763 terrorists were killed, 837 hideouts destroyed and 253 tons explosive recovered. In his tweet on social media the then DG ISPR had saidthat 9,000intelligence-based operations (IBOs) apprehended thousands of terrorists, abettors and killed 218 hard core terrorists in cities. He said that 347 officers and soldiers of Pakistan defence forces also embraced martyrdom (Shahadat) during the operation. After the appointment of Gen Bajwa, as COAS, Pakistan Army launched “Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad” across the country, which aimed at indiscriminately eliminating the remnants of terrorists groups and consolidating the gains made in other military operations. Pakistan is, indeed, a resourceful country and has all the ingredients like fertile land mass, four seasons, sea ports and over and above all hard working people who not only could make it thrive but also make it a great nation. Unfortunately, flawed policies of the inept ruling elite had led to contradictions on one hand between haves and have-nots and on the other between the federation and federating units. Instead of lamenting over what has happened in the past, it is imperative to take measures to ensure socio-economic justice, strengthen political system and institutions, eradicate corruption, provide timely justice, generate employment opportunities, seek consensus-based political solutions, and resolve ethnic, sectarian and religious fault lines. —The writer is a senior journalist based in Lahore
