Waseem Shehzad
They have usurped all state powers oppressing and terrorizing people. They even claim that without the army, Pakistan will not survive. These morons in uniform deliberately ignore the fact that Pakistan came into existence without an army. And half the country was lost when there was an army that had hundreds of thousands of men under arms. So, this notion of the army being essential for Pakistan’s survival is not borne out by facts.
The trouble with the Pakistan army is that it has spread its tentacles into every aspect of life. It is not so much an army as a vast business empire. It owns cement, fertilizer and cornflakes factories. It is also into real estate, mines, airlines and many other enterprises. They are everywhere except in their own profession: soldiering and guarding the country’s borders.
Over the years, the army has not only corrupted every institution in the country but also made them subservient to its whims. The army chief exercises enormous influence over every policy, to the detriment of Pakistan’s interests.
It has established the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) body that issues regular press briefings. This is unheard of in countries like the US, Britain or many parts of Europe. The army has also recruited hundreds of barking dogs (aka journalists and anchors) to project its nonsensical claims. Why should the ISPR be issuing daily briefings?
Let us look at the institutions it has corrupted and made subservient to serve army’s interests.
Politicians
While most Pakistani politicians are crooks and highly incompetent, so are the generals. Politicians are unable to develop proper mechanisms for governance because the army deliberately sabotages them.
The present bunch of criminals, thieves and crooks installed as rulers is a clear example of the army’s interference in politics. The ruling bunch ought to be in jail on numerous criminal charges. Some of them need to be hanged if the law were properly applied.
Every few years, the army throws out one set of politicians and replaces them with another totally disregarding the wishes of the people. This was evident in the manner in which the army blatantly overturned the February 8, 2024 election results to prevent the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) party led by Imran Khan from returning to power.
He was removed from office in April 2022 by then army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa on orders from the US. Imran Khan has languished in a stinking jail cell on bogus charges for more than a year. Bajwa should be locked up and charged with treason under Article 6 of the Constitution. Bajwa’s successor, Asim Munir is an even more venal character.
Judiciary
For a state to function properly, an independent judiciary is essential. This inspires confidence in people that there is an institution that they can turn to for redress.
The army has corrupted judges including the chief justice of the supreme court. Most judges do not dispense justice. They hand down verdicts dictated to them by some semi-literate colonel or brigadier. As the saying goes, “no justice, no peace”. There is neither peace nor justice in Pakistan.
Bureaucracy
In every state, the bureaucracy is supposed to be a neutral institution that helps facilitate the transition from one government to the next. In Pakistan, the army has completely corrupted the bureaucracy. It serves the interests of the men in khaki. There are few bureaucrats that are able to function independently, and according to law.
Police force
It is a well-known fact that the police force in every country is thoroughly corrupt. People hate them because they do not serve the people much less provide them protect. Instead, they are seen as a bunch of crooks. In Pakistan, the police force is even more notorious.
This is especially true of the Punjab police where a large number of criminals and murderers have been recruited into the force. They serve local Punjabi politicians as well as advance the army’s nefarious agenda.
Army’s war on people
Unable to fight its external enemies, especially India, the Pakistan army wages war against its own people. Two provinces in particular are targeted: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan. In both, hundreds of people have disappeared, kidnapped by the army or the intelligence agency.
In Balochistan, there are daily protests seeking information about their loved ones who have disappeared. The army simply brands them as “terrorists”. If so, they should be presented in a court of law and their guilt, if any, established through proper legal procedure.
The army considers such demands as heresy. It determines who is innocent or guilty; who is a patriot and who is a traitor.
Of Terrorists and Patriots
Most people would agree that terrorists should be confronted. The problem is the army decides who is to be branded a terrorist and targeted, and who is to be spared. The people in neither province—KPK or Balochistan—are taken into confidence. They are not considered worthy of attention. The army decides such policies unilaterally.
Not surprisingly, the army’s repeated attacks on so-called terrorists have not yielded results. Instead, there is growth in the number of people willing to take up arms against the army. The reason is that the army often kills innocent people in the name of fighting terrorists.
The terrorist charge is merely a ruse. The army is really after the mineral resources of these two provinces. There are also huge opportunities for smuggling diesel and oil, especially from Iran. The army is deeply involved in such smuggling. Senior officers vie for posting in the border area of Balochistan. It is the road to riches.
Taking on the Taliban
The Taliban in Afghanistan were supposed to be the Pakistan army’s proteges. Since they retook control in Kabul (August 2021) after driving the Americans out, the Taliban have been turned into Pakistan’s enemies.
The army’s standard explanation is that the Taliban—and Afghans in general—are ungrateful. Should the Taliban not look after the interests of their own people? Are they supposed to kowtow to the Pakistani generals’ whims whose loyalties are not even with Pakistan? They serve America’s interests and will settle with their families in the US once they retire from active service.
Losing Arab benefactors
The army’s incoherent policies have even antagonized the Arab rulers. For decades, they supported Pakistan but they have become tired of the begging bowl constantly being stretched out to them for handouts. They see Pakistan as a bottom-less pit and are not prepared to sink any more money into it.
The Arab rulers—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, etc—have long turned to India for investment opportunities. When Pakistanis do not invest in their own country, it is unrealistic to expect others to do so.
Losing China
In their eagerness to appease America, the army has antagonized China. The $60 billion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that China had planned for Pakistan has stalled. This is primarily due to the duplicity of Pakistani rulers, military and civilian. The mantra of China being an “all weather friend” no longer holds.
Fed up of Pakistani duplicity, the Chinese have found another outlet for exports: through Afghanistan. They have completed a road through the Wakhan corridor and are also completing a railway track. The Chinese do not waste time. From Afghanistan, these goods will move through Central Asia and onward to Europe.
Pakistan’s present setup and policies are unsustainable. A serious course correction is needed if the country is to be saved. Failing that, it will collapse under the weight of corruption and the incompetence of its rulers, especially the goons in uniform.
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