Good progress on all fronts
There are so many vested interests working at cross purposes in the country that sometimes it really becomes difficult to make out as to who has contributed and to what extent towards pushing the country into the crucible of a precipice. In this muddled scenario one perforce has to rely on the generality that both the military dictators and the politicians with myriad of skeletons in their cupboards are equally responsible for all the ills and challenges confronting the country.
Take for example the phenomenon of terrorism and religious extremism which poses an existentialist threat to the integrity of the country. They undoubtedly are a sequel to the wrong policies pursued by a military dictator who misused the name of Islam in promoting jihadi culture and allowed the mushroom growth of militant outfits under the official patronage. These policies ultimately boomeranged and the ‘Frankenstine’s monster’ created to advance foreign policy objectives came back to haunt the country. The representative governments that interspersed between him and Pervez Musharraf regime also failed to reverse the burgeoning threat to the country, remained locked in hatching conspiracies against each other and showed criminal negligence and indifference to tackling the real issues.
Musharraf who usurped power with the pledge to weed out corruption and winch the country out of the quagmire that it was stuck into, like the previous dictators, focused more on prolonging his dictatorial rule instead of fixing the problems on the basis of which he staged the military coup. By the way, according to Transparency International his government was also the most corrupt government since the period the agency started giving its findings on corruption indexes in different countries. He also miserably failed in tackling terrorism and religious extremism. Karachi went down the drain under his approving nod as he allowed MQM a free hand in conquering Karachi through its militant wing.
As for corruption, unfortunately it is an overwhelming social disease which has eaten into every strand of our social fabric. Military dictators, politicians, bureaucracy and the public are equally responsible for this most dangerous affliction stemming from the archaic colonial system of governance which invariably promoted a culture of graft and entitlement. No serious effort was ever made to check the monster in its tracks.
However it is heartening to note that some lessons have been learnt and finally serious and honest efforts have been launched to resurrect the country from the clutches of terrorism, religious extremism and militancy. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, target operation in Karachi through Rangers and a determined effort in Balochistan to eliminate insurgency coupled with the combination of political initiatives and humanitarian steps have brought about a sea change in the whole scenario indicating the onset of a real break from the past. Terrorists are on the run. Their infrastructure in North Waziristan has been dismantled. Their abettors, sympathisers and sleeping cells throughout the country are being targeted.
Karachi is well on its way to achieving normalcy notwithstanding sporadic incidents of target killing, terrorism and street crimes. The citizens of Karachi and people throughout Pakistan have felt the change and majority of them approve of the continuation of Rangers operation in Karachi without any let up. The government and the military establishment are unanimous and determined to take the fight against terrorism and militancy to its logical conclusion. Our Army, under the stewardship of COAS General Raheel Sharif, of course has played a very significant role in bringing about this change through a well conceived paradigm shift in regards to jihadi outfits. Our soldiers have rendered unprecedented sacrifices in dealing with terrorism and the whole nation is grateful to them for what they have done and are doing safeguard the integrity of the country and warding off threats to its security.
Having said that I feel that the PML-N government under Nawaz Sharif must be credited for taking these courageous steps rising above political expediencies and introducing a culture of consultative decision making in regards to national issues. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, targeted operation in Karachi, actions against Baloch insurgents, the National Action Plan and crack down on militant religious outfits are all good outcomes of this newfound concept. Army is part of the executive and one must not forget that the authorisation for all these actions has been given by the political leadership of the country and the PML-N government which ultimately is and will be responsible for whatever results are achieved through these actions.
I, however, have a sneaking feeling that certain circles, including some sections of the media, are deliberately trying to denigrate the resolve, determination and initiative of the political leadership to confront the challenges facing the country by giving the impression as if the entire effort was the brain child of the military establishment and the government had perforce to follow it. That is entirely a wrong notion and an extremely unfair reflection on the civilian leadership. It is a national effort spearheaded by the government and implemented by the Army with a sense of purpose and sincerity for which it deserves unqualified accolades of the people of Pakistan. Army is undoubtedly a very prestigious institution of the country and the only entity which can help the government in tackling the threats to the security of the country on the internal and external fronts. That is the constitutional role it is supposed to perform under the orders of the elected representatives of the people. Entertaining and promoting notions to the contrary is tantamount to undermining the constitution. The government, as well as the Army, honestly speaking, through their concerted and collaborative efforts have orchestrated the turnaround that we see all over the country and it should be perceived accordingly.
Now a few things about corruption. According to Transparency International, corruption in Pakistan for the last two years has gone into a nosedive as no mega corruption scandal has come to light during the last two years of the PML-N government. It is an encouraging development but we need to launch a crusade against this all permeating social menace first by bringing a positive change in the system of governance in conformity with the changed realities and demands of the modern times, followed by a sustained campaign with the help of all the stakeholders to change social attitudes in regards to this menace. There is an imperative need to bring adequate reforms in the government machinery and plugging the avenues of corruption in-built in the prevailing system of governance. The PML-N government, opposition political parties and the military establishment must use their collective wisdom to lead the fight against corruption making sure that the system thus evolved is based on the demands of justice and fair play and is seen to be indiscriminate by the public, to become a worth emulating example.