Appeal for Army’s Intervention
By Syed Kamran Hashmi
Westfield, IN
Accountability is the last refuge of the scoundrel. With apologies to Samuel Jackson, I had to modify his famous quote which points at patriotism as being the last refuge. I just did not know how else I could express my outrage and disappointment to the tweet that appeared last week from the self-proclaimed mother of PakistanTehreek e Insaf (PTI), Fauzia Kasuri, in which she said: “Time is right for the Fauj (Army) to cleanse n hold accountability of all who are guilty of loot, plunder, fraud, terror against Pak! @AsimBajwaISPR .”
If you are thinking this message was taken out of context and did not represent a continuum of a thought process, then let me assure you it is not true. Just a couple of days before her open invitation to the army, on June 25, she said: “Pakistan in desperate need of ACCOUNTABILITY, without discrimination, NOW! Looters of public wealth n trust must not be spared!”
As far as ruthless accountability is concerned, everyone agrees with her. The difference is that we want it to be done through legal and constitutional means. That, on the other hand, is not the case with her. She does not believe in this parliamentary democracy. She writes:“My humble opinion: Pak needs a Pres form of govt. Parl system breeds corruption in r country where institutions are weak n no accountability.” You got it right, she is referring to the parliamentary form of democracy, the same parliament that she so desperately wanted to be a part of, and even left her party when she was declined a reserved seat. Now two years later, parliament suddenly “breeds corruption” and for that she is ready to attack the constitution, the essence of our nation. Now tell me, if army is leading the accountability process who will be the president?
With her family background and experience, I am sure she knows what she is doing by ‘pitching a feeler’ to gage people’s resentment against the current government. However, I am not sure if the young workers of her party understand these tricks. Let me tell them that this is not the first time that any political party is playing this dubious role. Just before PTI, it was PML (Pakistan Muslim League) that stood up for accountability and claimed to bring all the alleged wealth of the nation back. It was its job to pave the way for another martial law, and to welcome it once it was implemented, to suppress the people’s anger if they started agitation, and to join the cabinet once it was announced as if it was inevitable because of the incompetency and dishonesty of the civilian government. The party led by the current Prime Minister, at one point, was notorious for its association with the establishment. It flipped to acquire an anti-establishment role only after Mian Nawaz Sharif himself, while he was still in the office, was incarcerated, prosecuted, sentenced, and exiled for years.
Let me also remind the energetic, yet gullible, PTI workers that fifty-seven years ago when Field Martial Ayub Khan imposed the first martial law, in 1958, he too shared his concerns regarding “the chaotic state of the country” like today. He was disturbed as well by the “lack of scruples on the part of parliamentary leaders.” In the first few months, he also mentioned “widespread corruption, irresponsible conduct of services and disorderly finances” as the reason for his intervention and he too promised to “clear the messes and prepare the country for more practicable form of government.” However, what happened after a short period of economic stability is a different story: the true mother of the nation, Fatima Jinnah was declared as an Indian agent, the 1965 war ended up in a disaster, and the process of the partition of Pakistan, gained momentum.
PTI workers must also realize that Field Martial Ayub Khan is not alone in his attempt to “clear the mess.” After him there is a long list of commanders who followed his footsteps. Some of them, like General Zia ul Haq and General Musharraf, attempted overtly, by subverting the constitution and taking the risk of being prosecuted. But there are many others who pulled the strings while staying behind the scene. Did any one of them accomplish his objectives? Is the country better off after four martial laws when Pakistan Army is fighting an active insurgency in three out of four provinces and its soldiers are losing lives fighting with people who share the same faith and nationality?
The party supporters must not also forget that Asif Ali Zardari, the most corrupt politician of Pakistan (allegedly), was in jail for seven years or more. Why could the administration led by General Musharraf not put together a single case against him that could get them a guilty verdict? What happened to the accountability process then? Besides that, why were they not able to prove a single case of financial misconduct during the eight years of exile of the Sharif brothers? I think, it is a disservice to the Pakistan Army by pulling it in civilian matters, by challenging its capabilities for something they are not trained to do.
Anyway, her statement cannot be brushed aside as a matter of personal opinion. It was not shared with close friends in a private meeting which is leaked as hearsay without evidence like the “Gospel of 35 punctures.” This invitation to the army is made public on the social media with the twitter address of the current Director General of ISPR, General Asim Bajwa, attached to it. It needs to be taken seriously. From PTI, I want to know if she is representing the party position or not. Since the day this message has appeared on Twitter, I am waiting for an official response from PTI, the party she claims to belong to. Usually, the party does a press conference on almost every issue, but is quiet on this one, why? Is the PTI on the same page with her?
