Not what the Quaid intended
What can be the legacy of a general? Novelty in marshalling troops in battlegrounds, breaking ground in new formations, genius in surprise tactics to catch the enemy off-guard, reaching new heights in professionalism and preparedness, inspirational, charismatic aura the soldiers can emulate and look forward to or, at least, an age-long dedication and commitment to the cause the military man has vowed to serve.
Lieutenant General Hamid Gul passed away in the same month his mentor did and has left behind a legacy Pakistan can ill afford to continue with. Not many soldiers would like to find themselves in such a situation. Nation’s pensive mood told what tragedy befell it due to certain acts of omissions and commissions of the maverick general.
Great surely he was in his own right as any general should be. But he took the wrong turn. It is least expected of a general of an army, rock solid in its organisational structure, to leave a nation behind highly divide and polarised. He and his mentor, General Zia-ul-Haq, are loved and despised for the same reason.
Given to their vehement support to reactionary forces, Pakistan would have gone into the dark ages long ago. But for the resilience of the nation and its commitment to Quaid’s ideals the slide into the chasm was checked in time
Both practised and preached what the Quaid of the nation never wanted Pakistan to be. Both brought mullah in the forefront to realise foreign policy goals and advance their political agenda at home. They, along with their acolytes, tried to turn the country full circle back into the theocracy.
Given to their vehement support to reactionary forces, Pakistan would have gone into the dark ages long ago. But for the resilience of the nation and its commitment to Quaid’s ideals the slide into the chasm was checked in time.
The general joined the reactionary forces in the name of Pakistan ideology which they wrecked squarely. They simply forgot that whatever source the ideology of Pakistan might have sprung from (secular or Islamic), it meant peace, prosperity, security, stability and dignity for its people. The general needed to be more perceptive.
He ignored what the Quaid had said at Lahore on October 24, 1947: “I would like to impress upon every Mussalman who has at heart the welfare and the prosperity of Pakistan, to avoid retaliation and to exercise restraint… Do your duty and have faith in God. There is no power on earth that can undo Pakistan.”
Even six years before this, addressing the Punjab Muslim Students Federation in 1941, the Quaid highlighted the nation’s future course of action in crystal clear terms. He said, “There are at least three main pillars which go to make a nation worthy of possessing a territory and running a government. One is education. Next, no nation and no people can ever do anything very much without making themselves economically powerful in commerce, trade and industry. And lastly, you must prepare yourselves for your defence, defence against external aggression and to maintain internal security.”
The counter-culture of Taliban these generals have created has engulfed almost the whole world. Now, no continent is safe from the outreach of these jihadists
What did our general do? Following in his mentor’s footsteps he did exactly what his mentor would have liked him to do. Abandoning Quaid’s policy of peaceful coexistence, he committed himself to a ‘jihad’ that transcended national boundaries.
The counter-culture of Taliban these generals have created has engulfed almost the whole world. Now, no continent is safe from the outreach of these jihadists.
Generally, people have eulogised his personal integrity and honesty. Some have come out with mudslinging regarding appropriation of acres of land in Shakargarh area to his family and general’s role in it and his meddling in politics such as the formation of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad to form governments. But all that is a peanut regarding the scale of his jihadi work and its impact on the people he has left behind.
No one can blame him for being unpatriotic. He did what he believed in, which at times, might have run counter to what the book and the common sense say.
