The subjective feelings to taste the lust of power may be one of the reasons that the Generals in Pakistan army ruled the country in uniform without any problem for a long period of its life. But during the spells of civilian rule in the middle their presence was quite distinctly palpable. One thing we must bear in mind that they might have handed over the chairs but never the “power”.
It is a wrongly perceived idea that there is a trio of Pakistan establishment. There is only one and one institution that holds the power and that is army. I am trying to avoid the word, “democracy” and use the word civilian rule, as there has been no democracy in this unfortunate country since it’s conception. The civilians have been voted to chair but the right of authority has never changed hands. It has always been the Devine right of the army, and still is.
It will be unfair to squarely put the blame on armed forces. The civilian leadership was inept and incapable to have a vision to rule the country.
They were politically on shaky grounds. Initially the leadership and civil servants were all imported. They had no roots in masses and were running the country on whims and trying their level best to avoid the institutions or for that matter the involvement of the masses. Their mental make up was that of despots. As despot always view their wisdom superior to collective wisdom.
Initially they needed the good will of the army which was mainly Punjabi dominated. It was an uneasy cohabitation between the imported civil servants and local Punjabi army. This situation existed till Punjab became the sole supplier of the both.
The shaky civilian government took refuge in the army and army in turn sought refuge in US support. The army since then is the more than a major stakeholder in power.
Democracy never had a take off. This alien idea was not given a chance to take its root in the soil of this newly proclaimed state.
Some times it really wonders me that why we Muslims have no a real democratic state that is by the people, of the people and for the people, to encompass the full definition of the democracy in it’s totality.
Though there is no Islamic State in the world but the Muslim dominated countries are all under the clutches of despots, dictators, kings and sheikhs.
Going back to the caliphate era, three out of four caliphs were martyred. It seems there is no mechanism of peaceful transition of power.
In my view the Muslim rulers diluted and ‘customised’ Islam to suit their own interests. Immediately after the Prophet’s death the tug of war for power started. The Caliphs had enormous powers. They were the chiefs of the army, the Jurists and rulers. But there is no doubt that they had the prescribed qualifications to be the Caliphs and were answerable to the Consultative Bodies. Their honesty was never in question.
Later on despots in the name of the religion ruled the Muslim masses. They neither had the strength of character nor were answerable to the consultative bodies. Nor an ordinary citizen could dare to question them. In fact they retained the powers of the Caliphs and flung away the qualification required to be a Caliph. The style is altered but the essence is retained.
It is my candid opinion that the downfall of the Muslims owes its root to the failures of their colonial surrogate rulers. Not a single state except Afghanistan has retained its independence during two world wars.
Majority have gained independence because the colonial power lost the strength to manage them any more. Those who fought for independence lost their gains to the opportunists and cronies of the colonial powers. The people of vested interest hijacked the movements. The same game is in progress in the present Arabs awakening.
In this desperation the clergy got opportunities to introduce terrorism in the world political body. The state terrorism of the west was the most potent stimulant to the mushroom growth of the shadows of terror.
Pakistani rulers had no vision or political acumen to see beyond the tip of their nose. They had neither been through the process nor had the wisdom to see the future. Pakistan is the shining example of this myopic vision and dare I say moral muteness? There is hardly any important issue that is decided in the country. There is hardly any state secret. Still we blow fire and fooling the masses that being a nuclear power we can blunt the teeth of US administration. The same silly nuclear capability is now a liability for the country.
We are least bothered by the sovereignty of the land but space is more important to us. We have shut all facilities to US forces and COAS went to the extent to order to shoot down any plane that violates our air space.
For the last one week the old game is on unabated. This is what we wanted to avoid. We were pleading that diplomatic channels should sort out the conflicts. Under the pressure of sectarian parties and political parties to the right forced the Military and civil leadership to give in and put the credibility and competence of the army at stake.
The country was destabilised further internally and externally isolated. Impulses do not work in international diplomacy. It is the logic that is heard. One should juggle with the domestic strengths and weaknesses to formulate the foreign policy.
One must take his own strength realistically before taking a belligerent position and then backing out. It is more humiliating than silence and wait for an opportunity. A quiet diplomacy keeps the enemy guessing and domestic limitations buried. But adventurism exposes every thing but unfortunately it is our national character. To some of us the integrity of the country is secondary to political scoring.
The whole system was made to derail. The institutional confrontation shook the basis of civilian rule. All the politicians stand naked in front of the armed forces and the armed forces were unjustifiably exposed internationally.
Have we alternative to Americans? China cannot be alternative. If it is able to make a difference it will not be instantaneously but possibly in a distant future. We are in urgent need to put our house in order and increase the Military muscles if it is really needed.
This is not a rented out country any more, as was put to PJ Mir by a western news analysts. It was in that state during Ayub times. Gen. Zia and Musharraf have mortgaged it. We have a small cleavage diplomatically to manoeuvre politically.
There is a complete confusion who runs our foreign policy, arrange foreign loans and provide security. There are two many wise men to distribute the work. But it seems that none of them know their responsibility but have masterly command on the other’s sphere. As put so nicely by Bertrand Russell "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."
This is my honest belief that the problems of Pakistan stems from this confusion. No strength of a single pillar in a country can guarantee the smooth running of the government. Every one has to remain in its own jurisdiction. The country cannot afford opportunism any more. If some are determined to experiment with reality they must realize that the experience is a good teacher but the fee is too high. Are they ready for that price?
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