Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad
AN international intellectual writer is of the view that Pakistani military spending per soldier is USD 13,513 the lowest in the world and USA highest is USD 409,596 per soldier. Pakistani per soldier cost is even below Bangladesh USD 17597 and India per soldier USD 42,188 and yet it is under attack for being economical and efficient. On the other hand, US debt is over USD 22.7 trillion in 2019, but US Congress approved 716 billion dollars in defence spending for fiscal year 2019, and about 700 billion dollars for fiscal year 2018, it means US cannot even suppose to spend all this on defence? As journalist, we have a responsibility to authenticate facts and being truthful. A bright writer and journalist will see how the people without defence and powerful force like Palestinians, Kashmiris, Bosnians and Rohangyas are treated by the hostile criminal armies? Can you imagine a Pakistan without a strong army living next to Modi’s India?
The writer of the report ‘Poor Nation, Rich Army’ published on 21 March 2019 in ‘Foreign Policy’ is a Pakistani and living in exile in France. He wrote a slanderous and misleading article about Pakistan Army which proves that: (a) doors of all the fortresses were always opened from inside, from Mir Jafar to Sikndar Mirza, Asif Zardari, Altaf Hussain and Nawaz Sharif, (b) country has invested on wrong people in media and academia from Hussain Haqqani, Najam Sethi to Ayesha Siddiqa Agha and media groups who projected enemy agenda at the time of war, (c) there is a lack of intellectual capital be it think tanks or human capital (d) some very old boys are running think tanks and still returning the favors to their cold war masters for example Gen Talat Masood and Hasan Askari Rizvi are from steam engine age but clinging on and not letting new blood come in to deal with current challenges. They have become part of the problems and not solutions. No disrespect but these are people’s views conveyed on various occasions.
Pakistan armed forces are voluntary force in which any one man or woman can apply and try his talent and luck to reach on top. Just to remind people that soldiers are not security guards as they sign their death warrant at the time of joining and insurance companies will not insure them or charge very high premium due to high risks. Those who say soldiers are getting paid, so their duties are as common as city centre job. Politics is also a voluntary work and not a profession or invitation by the state, as well as not an automatic license to loot and plunder national wealth. Pakistan’s democrats and English-speaking elite served its foreign masters from right, left and centre. In the past 18 years they have been beating, extra judicial killing of poor Madrassa students and made to believe as Madaris are number one problem of Pakistan.
In the same way this elite is now and earlier telling its master that Pakistan Army is number one hurdle in achieving their agenda, Dawn leaks and Memo Gates are the living proof and indictment against Zardaris and Maryam, Nawaz and Shabaz Sharif. Soon after the so-called democratic Zardari government came into power in 2008, they made cuts in the nuclear and missile program, stopped funding in some crucial projects to please who? They left no leaf un-turned to undermine the important national institutions, strangling higher education institutions training people for future. This is one-point agenda undermine the armed forces of Pakistan and make country a soft target. Can you imagine Pakistan without strong army after the Indian attacks led by Modi Government in February 2019? Do you think these political parties can sustain 24 hours against the Indian military might? In the end it’s the arms dealers who are winning by bribing their ‘agents in democracy’?
A secure country can promise a secure democracy otherwise Palestinians have elected HAMAS and Egyptians elected ‘Brotherhood’ but the so-called democrats in USA and West toppled the elected government with military and installed a puppet who only got 7.5% votes in Egypt who was selling Gas to Israelis on the lowest price of $1.5 MMBTU but buying from international market for $9 MMBTU for its own use. France, where writer of the article is based is a worst human rights violator and arms exporters in the world. It has even ordered its military to shoot the ‘yellow vest’ protesters who are protesting against corruption and looting of national wealth. Raymond Davis, a CIA asset in his book ‘The Contractor’ exposed the cancerous elements of the so-called elite of Pakistan and how they all prostituted in his release, used Sharia Law of ‘Diyat’ (paying blood money) to get his swift release from the jail. They were all in one cage, generals, civil servants, judges, lawyers and politicians.
These people have disgraced the country for their interests. Interesting thing to ponder is how foreign agencies could cultivate their assets in Pakistan and nobody knew about it? Chinese experts say about Pakistani elite – “Fish start rotting from the Head”. This book is to undermine the confidence of the armed forces but at the same time armed forces need to keep its backyard clean. No? They all have Green Cards and kids in USA. This law and nationalism is only for up to grade 16 and below in Pakistan. In the words of Indian politician Laluparsad Yadav: “You take the calf and cow will follow you”. Following that theme US, UK and other western countries offered scholarships and visas and green cards to the sons and daughters of high and mighty generals, civil servants and politicians. There is no such thing as free lunch and these people are not more than a prostitute who trade in national honour both in cash and kind.
—The writer is former Federal Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan and currently Chairman National Democratic Foundation.
