Sajjad Ahmad Khan
There is a political tornado in the country. There is dust everywhere. The smog of bedlam has made it arduous to discern truth from lies. It seems that there has been a heavy downpour of accusations and abuses, which have badly bruised the ethics and constitution of Pakistan. No one can say with certainty when the dust will settle down. PTIs charged rallies and assassination attempt on Khan have further raised the political temperature.
And when the coalition reacts, it seems that political thunders are falling. The lava of hatred is boiling on both sides, but there is no embankment that can stand in the way of this red-hot magma. Behind the current political upheaval is nothing more than a desire for power. The current politics is the politics of mudslinging. But in this dirty, vindictive, and rude politics, the dignity of the army has been jeopardised to hell. In my opinion, the army has not been able to show its face and face the situation with a credible degree of confidence. Pakistan army is the most organised organisation in the world and the strongest one in Pakistan. When someone dares to challenge this institution, he either becomes mute or his soul is lost to the real creator. Damaging the reputation of the army in Pakistan is not only difficult, but it is like risking one’s life in a well of death. But here the question arises: how did Khan do this unique and horrible thing in the history of Pakistan, where he challenged and exposed the role of army in politics? The answer is quite simple. Imran Khan is an abortive hybrid experiment by the army engineers. Mr. Khan is akin to a robot that starts punching its creator due to a short circuit or any other technical malfunction. How grotesque that for the first time in the 75-year history of Pakistan, the DG ISPR and ISI chief are holding a press conference together on television. They present their stand before the nation and reject the narrative of the PTI. In other words, we can also say that they try to present themselves as ‘uninvolved’ and pristine. Here, as soon as their press conference starts, PTI plunges into trolling the Pakistan Army on social media, saying that the mongoose and snake have finally come out of their nest and burrow. It seems nothing could deter Khan’s determination. As we see, PTI’s courage has not decreased but rather ballooned. When Imran Khan was injured in the assassination attack, he accused a serving general as well, without any fear. In response, the Pakistan army went into defensive mode and said that it had nothing to do with the incident. But despite this, PTI workers protested and shouted slogans in front of the Peshawar Corps Commander’s House. After this episode, the army just made mild hullabaloo on social media but could never prove itself innocent and Khan guilty. This shows how much power the army has used in making this statue. This indicates how much might and spirit the army has instilled in this male-Barbie, called Imran. Now we have to accept the bitter truth that if today Imran thinks himself as powerful as Herculean, it is because of the army that brought Khan to this point. And now the army is bearing the burden of its mistake and regretting its actions. I disfavour Khan’s political agitation because I believe that the battle of the parliament should be fought constitutionally within the walls of the parliament.
But in some places, Khan’s position is absolutely correct. Khan is really justified in questioning why no police station was registering his FIR against the assailants. Even after combining, I could not find any difficulty in filing Khan’s FIR . After consideration, only few reasons surface: Firstly, Khan has included the name of a senior intelligence officer in the FIR. Secondly, the provincial government of Punjab is not cooperating in this regard. Thirdly, observers conclude that it is the establishment that is hindering the lodging of the FIR, conveying a message to Khan to hold his tongue before it’s too late. Fourthly, It also bears a lesson for Khan to weigh his words before uttering in public. In such circumstances, Khan’s decision to knock on the door of the court to probe the Wazairabad incident is a very reasonable and appropriate step. But what the court’s decision will be, and how Khan will react to it, is still unknown. On the face of it, if things are not straighten up well in time, the country will further slip into the backwoods of the economy.
When analysing the situation very closely, it seems that the current political scenario hinges on the appointment of a new army chief. Imran Khan’s latest statement in this regard is like ‘a cool breeze in the hot desert.’ Khan says that if the PML-N government appoints the army chief, he has no problem with it. Now it is quite difficult to say whether this is a new U-turn by Khan or a strategy. However, for the stability of the country, it is imperative that the army chief be appointed as soon as possible. This will cause many murmurs to die its natural death. I think that for the integrity of Pakistan, it is necessary that the selection of the Army Chief be above politics and based on merit. Second and lastly, it is imperative for the survival of Pakistan that the army should focus on its professional responsibilities and take the utmost care not to be a target of public criticism.
