Opinion

As Pakistanis Sleep Fifth Column Caught Trying to Burgle Pakistan
By Imran H. Khan
CA

So the fifth column has struck back and scored. Musharaff is gone! All the problems according to the 5th have been solved! Pakistan has finally purged itself of the decade long military plague and is ready to set sail and move full steam ahead towards democracy and materialistic idealisms as espoused by the great sages of Greek philosophy eons ago. However, what is interesting to note is that at the time the Greeks were mastering their social sciences, the Indus region was at the height of its civilization. Thus, whilst the Greeks may have been philosophizing and theorizing about societal governance and its ordinance, the Indus region had already become an established paragon for civilization and progress.
Thus this drive to democratize the nation in the image of the Greeks by the 5th can only be comprehended if one begins to scratch the surface and dig a little deeper. When the penetration of inquisition finally burrows the hallowed turf of history and strikes the initial septum of truth, rays of light begin to seep out and provide sight to the previously unseen.
On my recent visit to Pakistan, I was dumbstruck with the prevalent attitude that dominated every strata of society.
“The global oil prices rocketed to new highs thus obviously Musharaff was to blame, the rupee in line with most global currencies plummeted and inflation soared, a new recession was upon us globally but in Pakistan it was Musharaff who was hording all the supplies! The war in Iraq could have been prevented by Musharaff, the war in Afghanistan: Musharaff. He could have just said to Bush we are not supporting you even though you are going to make’ Kheer’ out of our country and drop 320000 lbs for fun. Blame Musharaff for everything. Indigestion: Musharaff, cows have stopped giving milk; it was all because of Musharaff, stubbed your toe: Musharaff; broke wind: Musharaff; don’t pray: Musharaff; don’t fast and keep Ramadan: Musharaff; lie, cheat, deceive, steal, don’t work hard, sit around all day smoking copious cigarettes all Musharaff generated problems.”
There was an almost definitive blanket response to every question and issue with regards to the former Army president. In accordance to social psychology this type of attitude is either a severe reaction or resentment of society to the incumbent leadership due to obvious evils being committed by the ruling regime or conversely and slightly alarmingly this ‘zombie-fied’ ambiance is cultivated and matured via a psychological program known in military parlance as ‘Psychological Operations’. This type of psychological warfare as perfected by such fascist groups as the Nazis, Communists and other despotic regimes allowed for society to reach a certain degree of anxiety and hatred towards a chosen other. Due to my personal experiences in the media and the world of PR and advertising I quickly deciphered that this type of attitude cannot be one of resentment. People are free to do, say and think as they like! There are no secret police or institutionalized religious organizations harassing people and making thousands disappear as they have done all across the world! There are sporadic and isolated incidents of terror but nothing which seizes public and private activity. Pakistan is the most liberal and tolerant Islamic state in the world. The local police are polite and orderly, the business community has become savvy and genuinely most of the cities in Pakistan have areas within them that match any other from across the globe! Pakistan is 60 odd years old and has already fought three major back to back wars; has been hijacked by immoral goons who have purloined the national coffers since inception and constantly faces the constant wrath of the world and at present through an insurgency that most now publicly acknowledge is foreign agency buttressed. Despite all these dilemmas, Pakistan the nation has still made greater progress than any other nation on the planet with all due respect to the above stated factors!
The infrastructure is not the best but is getting there. Every major institute and global organization feels Pakistan important enough to have vested a financial and physical presence there; it has arguably the seventh most powerful military in the world and is a regional power. How many nations can claim such prowess?
So the morale of the people could not be inadvertently affected by the state of the nation! Our neighbors China and India that have the fastest growing economies on the planet are still experiencing around 60-70% poverty within their respective borders and are faced with very real separatist movements that could tear their nations apart!
Thus, the only explanation for this rather ungrateful and resentful attitude is a cultivation of the Pakistani mindset. A tactic that would never be employed by an authoritarian government but one that has consistently been exported by so-called democratic nations to imbue a disproportionate sense of resentment that may lead to subversion, chaos and even anarchy. A ripe technique used for eventual external command and control of a nations’ sovereignty.
After 9/11 many respected commentators concur that Pakistan was definitely in the firing line! This was a country that had been declared both a failed and terrorist state when under the rule of civilian politicians that the media is now kowtowing to. The fact Pakistan has survived intact despite the enormous outside influences since 9/11 is a testament to the Generals!
The 5th otherwise known as the quislings, at the behest of our enemies, have decided to forego the future stability of the nation in return for securing any semblance of feudal power and seat in governance. This greed and chicanery has manifested its existence through the complete ignorance displayed by the politicos, who are devoid of any visionary ideals or policies relating to health, education, welfare, and security; let alone discussing international relations, foreign policy or even globalization and economics. Yet they are hell bent on occupying the front seats of the bus because they are connected to some family or have ties to a certain class of society! The 5th has worked its colonial charm once again!
For the first time in world history a Military leader usurped complete power but in complete contrast to what has been experienced before both in Pakistan and the world he allowed a system of governance that any democracy would die for.
For those who are versed about the military dictatorships in South America, Central America, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Far East will know about the death squads and the complete suppression of human rights in those nations.
Pakistanis were fortunate enough to have found a central figurehead whom they could question, criticize and scrutinize for a whole plethora of reasons. No nation let alone Pakistanis have ever been presented with such an opportunity under a military government.
Which civilian government has allowed the press such unlimited powers of freedom and expression that border on subversion? The same Pakistani media which the military allowed air to breath returned the favor by castigating and vilifying the only real institute of Pakistan and jeopardizing the security of the nation. If those media tycoons and politicians had behaved in such an irresponsible and outlandish manner in a nation that was run by real Army dictators such as those in South America than one would not even have found a trace of their existence let alone their fabricated fables and FOX News like presentations.
Only time will tell if the current crop of already tried and failed politicians will take any definitive strides towards reconciliation and harmony within the nation. However, one thing is for sure, those media outlets that have been at the forefront of ‘creating news’ and then utilizing incompetent politicians to justify their stance should beware of the consequences not only to their well being and existence but the impact and damage it will have on the image and stability of Pakistan. Not all media agencies are to be tarred with the same brush of course but there are some who in collusion with some morally bankrupt politicians form the Fifth column that must be rooted out and countered before it sells the nation for a dinar to our enemies. Remember it was in dinars that Palestine was lost not too long ago!
The mainstream media outlets that possess broadcasting ability must learn to mature and work with the system to ensure that the image and institutions of Pakistan are not mired in deceit. The media must not become a conduit for our enemy strategists to destroy the morale and psychological unity of our country. If Pakistan suffers from any external attacks in any format than one has only to look at the media agencies sitting off the coast of Pakistan in the Arab world and the disgruntled rogues marauding as politicians and representatives of the people as the first line of enemy infiltration.

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