Ironically, the Mansoor Ijaz saga, which was supposed to widen the rift between the civil government and the military, has produced one instance of unity. Both the Presidency and the military have denied Ijaz’s allegations that the president and the army chief has had a conversation before the May 2nd attack on Abbottabad and both were in the know of the attack before it happened.
But this development should not stop at the level of the presidential spokesperson and the ISPR. It should extend to the these institutions themselves, specially the military, which has been the more intransigent of the two in this scenario.
Also, perhaps it is time that the Supreme Court were also to put this issue behind it. Instead of catering to the whims of this US national who demands for the honourable court to order for an elected president to appear in court, perhaps it could spend more time prioritising cases that affect the daily lives of the citizens. The backlog of cases is huge and the quality of judicial review has been far from ideal, especially at the lower courts level. Court cases drag on and on and there is rampant corruption to be found at every avenue at every tier.
Mr Ijaz is difficult to like, even for those who believe for his revelations about the memo to be the gospel truth. Those ideologically inclined to be opposed to political governments aren’t too comfortable with his allegations against the military. His rather colourful personal life also doesn’t lend him credibility. No one would buy a used car from him.
It is amazing, the extent to which one man’s words have occupied so much of the media’s time and energy. Have the press corps and the polity in general been taken for a ride by a man known for seeking attention and a desire to be seen to be in the thick of things?
