AS a part of the on-going cleansing drive initiated by the media to unearth unholy doing in the civil society, even some scams such as, Pakistan Steel Mill’s Rs 22 billion scam, NICL case, corruption in Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Railways, Hajj corruption case, NATO containers’ case, rental power projects and the ephedrine quota case, have been made public. More recently, a stage is set against Maj Gen Khalid Zaheer, Lt Gen Khalid Munir and Lt Gen Afzal Muzzafar for their involvement in the National Logistic Cell (NLC) scandal in 2008. Better late, then never. It goes to the army’s credit that instead of hushing the scandal up, it ordered investigations and recording of the Summary of Evidence (SoE). All the three general officers are facing court martial after being recalled into service. However, the obstructionists are creating misperceptions about the good offices of armed forces. They opined that Pakistan Army will hush up to save the sacred cow. Nonetheless, by court martialing the accused officers, the army has dispelled all the bickering and speculations engulfing the country. The case is sub judice, while GHQ is evaluating evidences of the case.
As the new standard of corruption has gnawed at the innards of Pakistani civility, it has also penetrated inside the iron-clad defenses of the Pakistan armed forces. Resultantly, a few, at the very top, have faltered and fallen prey to greed. To what extent has much-admired image of Pakistan’s armed forces – as a highly disciplined, honest, responsible and professional body, turned into abyss? The defenders of Pakistan’s frontiers take pride in boasting that the service in Pakistan armed forces is not merely a job, but it is a profession that demands sacrifice of their lives for the sake of their motherland. Any harm to them will invariably inflict a heavy blow to the sovereignty of the country. If we as civilians do not respect the institution of military, we ought not to complain if we are not adequately defended from our adversaries in the war. And, if we really want to condemn corruption, then the civil society will have to relegate the recognition of corruption, only to be followed by the military culture – inviting a cultural change in the society.
MOHSIN MIRZA
Islamabad
