Courage is a rare commodity here while there is an inflationary premium placed on convenience. Principles, lauded in rhetoric, are often upheld only when actions do not ruffle feathers. But exceptions exist. The late Mr Saleem Shehzad was a rare individual who placed his commitment to his work over and above any fears. Like all men of outstanding courage, he did not mince words. He wrote what he knew and he knew what he wrote.
As an editorial in this paper aptly noted any demands for an impartial inquiry and availability of information are a formality and may never be met. Mr Shehzad was not the first journalist in Pakistan to lose his life while adhering to his principles and he definitely will not be the last. The wounds on his body notwithstanding, the marks on our collective character are here to stay.
However, it is often not the State of Pakistan that strangles the free flow of information but elements that operate independently of the State while using its cover that operate with audacity and no fear of accountability. Our intelligence community is an unruly beast. Decades ago this beast gave birth to offspring that now threatens the State of Pakistan. The children of the beast are now upon us while the State of Pakistan (civilian government, legislature and judiciary) watches with trepidation. Yes, the State of Pakistan is weak – a point made brilliantly by Anatol Lieven in ‘Pakistan: A Hard Country’. The security establishment can kidnap people not because the State of Pakistan orders so but because the State of Pakistan has no power over its own agents. It lacks control over the military and the intelligence community and, therefore, has never been a strong State. The civil-military imbalance is the greatest of our woes. Make no mistake about it: this issue will determine the future of Pakistan and the place of democracy in our polity.
I do not have a degree in journalism and neither did I go to a fancy liberal-arts college to read Plato. But my personal experience is that an overwhelmingly large number of the so-called opinion makers either play it safe by never confronting the security establishment or have been Musharraf-era-apologists (instead of never conceding his legitimacy). It is easy to spend an entire career in journalism by writing pieces that will insult politicians, please the socialites and appease the military without ever having to take a stand – a stand expressing fidelity to principles such as the courage to confront what matters. Journalists are smart people and they often choose marriages of convenience over a nuanced analysis and investigation of truths that need to be unmasked.
As a citizen I am appalled at the number of people who now attack the politicians for alleged mismanagement but had earlier written pieces in ‘liberal papers’ unabashedly praising Musharraf’s policies. Many with degrees from some of the best schools in the world took oath in the cabinet of that megalomaniac who tore the Constitution of Pakistan to shreds. Maybe there is something about esoteric political theory or an expensive education that we just don’t ‘get’. But what we do ‘get’ is the Constitution and the aspirations it embodies. Yes, there is a gap between the aspirations and the reality of this State but it is up to us, we the people, to bridge that gap. We have agents whom we elect and vest with authority to represent us. And they matter more than any op-ed writer (including me) or some brat with a Masters in Anthropology who joined a dictator while some socialite lady said, ‘party politics is just so dirty’.
Nowhere in the world is politics synonymous with the cleanest line of work but it definitely is one of the noblest. And if some of our politicians are dirty, then we need to engage with the system to clean it. The media will point at a few bad apples to bring a bad name to politics as a whole but it will never equate the corruption of Musharraf with the whole Army. Why is what? Why do we allow it to happen? A corrupt politician is not an argument against democracy. These are our politicians, our representatives, our voices. If you disagree with a voice then engage with it but for heaven’s sake do not listen to someone who offers to substitute our many voices with just one.
For the future of our children and for ensuring the sanctity of their voices it is imperative that we engage with the politicians, question and strengthen them by strengthening their control over the military and the intelligence community. They are just as weak as us, if not weaker. Imagine a child locked away for years and pulled out of school every few months just when he starts to learn something. Would you seriously expect him to clear each exam? If you say yes then step aside with your fancy degree in the hope that another dictator takes over so you can join the cabinet. The rest of us can spend the remainder of our lives to ensure that that never happens. Let’s bet on those who have a stake in us.
The writer is a Barrister of Lincoln’s Inn and practices in Lahore. He has a special interest in Anti-trust /Competition law. He can be reached at [email protected]
