THE cat is out of the bag and the spokesperson of the military establishment has made it very clear in a press conference that all the perpetrators, planners and masterminds of the attacks on the military installations on May 9th will be taken to task and there are no two opinions about it. Without naming the chairman of the PTI or any other politicians the DG ISPR made it crystal clear that all those responsible for the heinous crimes of an attempted uprising will be charged and punished according to the law of the land. The PTI founder projected as a savior of the nation is now being indicted as a rabble rouser who had incited his followers to insurrection and attacks on the powerful military establishment. This is another episode or a new phase in the turbulent political history of the last 76 years and how it will finally end is yet to be seen. The happenings of May 9 is a very complex mysterious and intricate plot that is still shrouded in the mists of secrecy and mystery it is still an ongoing story to be probed and investigated. Numerous military installations and army monuments were attacked, brutally vandalized and trampled underfoot in an orgy of anger and vindictive expression.
The GHQ, the Corp commander’s house Lahore, Askari Towers, and PAF base Mianwali, ISI offices in Faisalabad and many others faced the wrath of the PTI stalwarts. Even monuments in memory of martyrs of various wars were not spared and the statue of a national hero captain Karnal Sher Khan (NH) was toppled and trampled underfoot immediately after the arrest of Imran Khan. This country has never before witnessed such a demonstration of anger and fury against the state institutions particularly the powerful military establishment and the highly guarded security establishments have never been targeted before in history.
The arrest of Imran Khan was clearly declared as a red line by the fanatic followers of the former Prime Minister and a back lash was certainly anticipated but the happenings of May 9 were not a sudden or spontaneous reaction or demonstration of public anger. All this was the result of a vicious and sustained anti army campaign launched by Imran Khan immediately after his ouster and he had in fact gone to the extent of calling the army chief a Mir Jaffar or a traitor in cahoots with the enemies of the state.
The toxic and malicious hate campaign launched by Imran Khan and the PTI social media team in the UK and the USA motivated and galvanized the PTI tigers to launch their attacks on 9th May. The PTI followers managed to mobilize huge crowds of their followers that included not only the young firebrands but senior leaders, retired military officers, wives and children of some retired senior army officers and even women leaders in the vanguard of the assault. Ironically the military establishment itself had for many years had promoted the PTI chief as a savior of the nation and all other political leaders were projected as corrupt, incompetent and looters of the national wealth.
As a result of the establishment’s powerful narrative Imran Khan got a new lease on life after his ouster from power by a no confidence motion, but the PTI chief and his advisors had grossly miscalculated the authority and the long arm of the powerful military establishment that has been the real power behind the throne in this country since the last 76 years.
Ironically Imran Khan the once blue eyed boy of the establishment has now accused the military establishment of a “betrayal” or stabbing him in the back. From the fairy tale of an international conspiracy the Khan put the entire blame on the army chief. Now there is also definitely something in the back ground when it was announced by the DG ISPR the one Lt. Gen. and three Maj. Generals have been sacked and action has been taken against fifteen brigadiers as well as part of the army’s self-accountability process.
Two comprehensive enquiries were launched by the army high command into the violent uprising of May 9 and disciplinary action was taken against those who were negligent or failed to safeguard the security of military installations or the honor of the garrisons they were supposed to protect. Such large scale disciplinary action against high ranking military officers has never been taken before even during the dark and dismal days of the 1971 war with India and the emergence of Bangladesh.
It goes without saying that the honor and prestige of the military has been shaken thoroughly by the happenings of May 9 when even some family members of senior army officers were directly involved in the violent uprising of 9th May and now draconian measures were immediately required to maintain discipline in the rank and file of the powerful military establishment.
The sacking of senior officers raises some serious questions if it was only negligence or complicity of the officers that resulted in their removal. How could a lieutenant General, Two Major Generals and 15 Brigadiers acted some irresponsibly? It becomes more serious when there are reports that close family members of some retired and serving generals are being investigated in connection with the uprising of 9th May. According t the DG ISPR “a granddaughter of a retired four star general, son in law of a retired four star general, wife of a retired three star general and son in law of a retired two star general are facing the process of accountability on the basis of irrefutable evidence” this is evidence of the great sympathy and support enjoyed by Imran Khan among military families.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
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