The importance of maintaining a trained and well equipped army, navy and air force is very vital for the national security and sovereignty of Pakistan. This country inspite of its limited resources has diverted a large part of its GDP to attain this goal.
No army in the world can defend its country without wholehearted support of its people. It is for this reason that the military is required neither to be involved in politics of the country nor in any controversies. The involvement of security apparatus bureaucracy in real estate development projects is a cause for concern. It is time for changes within their establishment to conserve this important institution.
Gradually but surely Pakistan’s security apparatus has suffered a deterioration in their professional skills and discipline because of lack of oversight, indulgence in non-professional matters, repetitive martial laws, and in some cases even conflict of interest.
Somebody in Cantonment Board needs to explain why area around GHQ was allowed for private residential and commercial ventures. After all Mehran Base security lapse was facilitated when sanctity of security zone was violated by allowing marriage halls to be established in what should otherwise have been a restricted area to boost commercial business ventures of few officers.
Those entrusted with command of base chose to make this compromise because of a conflict of interest. After all, even welfare of serving or retired uniformed officers cannot be made an excuse to compromise security of restricted areas by allow unrestricted public access to what otherwise should have been out of bounds to public.
The Pakistani state, which is undergoing its worst economic crisis, lost millions of dollars worth of precious hardware because of sheer negligence. Similarly, the mid air collision between two Mashak trainee aircrafts flown by PAF pilots under supervision of instructors was clearly due to low level aerobatics in the approach configuration, which this aircraft meant for training was not designed to handle resulting in propeller of one tearing into tail of other aircraft.
Is this a case of individual indiscipline, or it reflects upon professional lapses within this organization, where discipline is paramount. A line has to be drawn to differentiate and prioritise legitimate professional goals of our security apparatus, which is to defend our geographical boundaries from external aggression and assist the federal governments when instructed to do so and welfare of serving and retired men in uniform.
MALIK T ALI
Lahore