Hint: It’s not a reformed political narrative
“The army spokesperson’s public display of annoyance was because facts were twisted, grandeur tales of conspiracies were spun, speculations were made and strictures were passed around publicly during this ordeal as the public watched with bated breath.”
We seem to be in a perennial struggle to formulate a political narrative in Pakistan regarding governance. A consensus has always been lacking amongst the country’s stakeholders on how best to run its affairs. We say that Pakistan is a constitutional democracy but our history betrays the authenticity of our claim. The political process has been on flimsy grounds since 1958 and the role played by politicians themselves has been questionable at best.
Take the recent case of the Dawn leaks and the ensuing Tweet-saga. Had it not been for the sagacity shown by the Army Chief and the Prime Minister, fractious opportunists in the garb of politicians and analysts would have spurred another institutional clash, much to the horror of those who genuinely want to see this country flourish, and all this in the name of national security.
Addressing a press conference after the issuance of the complete notification of the inquiry board recommendations, the military spokesperson rightly condemned those who were hoping for another showdown between the federal government and the Armed forces by projecting them as being at odds with one another. This public display of annoyance was because facts were twisted, grandeur tales of conspiracies were spun, speculations were made and strictures were passed around publicly during this ordeal as the public watched with bated breath.
This entire episode is also instructive of those people who present themselves as ‘sympathisers’ of the Armed forces. As soon as it was announced that the recommendations of the inquiry board have been implemented in their entirety and that the matter has been amicably resolved the same brigade of self-styled ultra-loyalists turned their backs on the military high command. Regrettable comments and insinuations were implied on social media. The impression of a compromised settlement or a deal was projected before the public. The previous narrative on the matter was also turned on its head. Consider the tweet by Imran Khan on April 29: “Dawn leaks was a deliberate attempt to malign Pak army…” Then on May 10th he again tweeted: “Dawn leaks was never about Army and government…”
However, I digress.
All those who voted for the first time in the General Election 2013 have received a very poor political education ever since. This is because this period has been marred with the worst type of agitational-politics in recent memory. This has put the current generation at risk of repeating the same mistakes in the political realm as their predecessors or the ones before them had made. Is it not tragic? It is our collective responsibility to discourage all those who support and cultivate room for extra-constitutional steps implicitly and explicitly. This can only happen with a reformed political narrative that Pakistan’s success in the future lays in continuity of the governance system with incremental improvements and the right level of awareness in the general population.
Our common remorse for the lack of institutional mechanisms to curb social problems like corruption and crime are also inextricably linked to the right political narrative amongst the masses. No institution or system can prosper or cement its place to regularly uphold public good and interest if the model of governance keeps alternating. The teetering institutions of today are being held back by the clutches of our historical mistakes. A remarkably high number of precedents of poor judgment and mal-intent have been set in our democratic history. We have suffered enough to agree moving forward constructively. Now is the time for setting new precedents based on principles of goodwill, trust and the collective struggle for the wellbeing and progress of the country. Resorting to populism in every issue should be curbed and pragmatic solutions should be explored in the interest of Pakistan. Our competitors in the international arena will not wait for us to resolve our internal infighting as they are continue to explore new avenues of shaping the world in their favor at a much faster rate than our inflated egos.
In the end, it is worth reiterating the positive role played by the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in exhibiting the foresight, wisdom, and the intent and the will to adhere firmly to democratic principles in the most recent challenge to civil-military relations. Three cheers for the brave General!