Much is being read into the recent so called ‘macho’ speech
of the Co Chairman of the PPP. Some analysts are calling it some kind of a
gauntlet thrown at the ‘establishment’ which they think and hope will be picked
up so that fireworks can start. The media loves fireworks because it rakes in
the moolah and these days that is the most important consideration. More
experienced and savvy people know that the outburst by the Co Chairman was
neither a speech nor a gauntlet — it was a sad and pathetic spectacle. It was the
response much like the one a cornered rat makes as a last ditch effort to evade
a fate that looks inevitable.
The Co Chairman
forgot that for five long years he was the President of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan and the Supreme Commander of Pakistan’s Armed Forces. You do not get
to go any higher except when called to the eternal abode. For such an eminence
to threaten the land that honored him with an end to end shut down that would
only end on his say is the mother of all betrayals. To threaten the forces he
commanded with public exposure to disgrace them is the mother of all come downs
because it lowers one to the level of a blackmailer. Above all such a tirade is
a tacit public admission that the Rangers’ operation in Karachi led by a
no-nonsense soldier is dead on target and that the target feels the noose
tightening and hurting.
Those expecting a
response or a flurry of action are in for a surprise. The military will not
stoop to pick up the gauntlet because there is no gauntlet to be picked up. The
thought about three year military tenures in the top slot as opposed to the
‘permanence’ of the politician is a fallacy and those sitting around the
speech-making table knew that. The petrified look on the face of the other Co
Chairman under his warrior type turban and the frozen smile on the face of the
lady who loves goggles gave away their true feelings as they heard their leader
rant and rave. Altaf Bhai now has a rival. What was forgotten was the
continuity in the military institution because it is an institution in the true
strength of the word with enormous organizational and structural strength and a
memory that would put an elephant to shame — so tenures and individuals are not
important, the institution is. And above all the military is an institution of
Pakistan that for the last seven years has been functioning under and in
support of the elected governments. Right now it is fighting to give human and
physical security in Pakistan and is unhesitatingly making supreme sacrifices.
What is critical is the present and not the past in which the Co Chairman wants
to wallow to dredge up failures and lapses.
If the Co Chairman
was expecting political forces to rally around him and his party he must be
disappointed. The political institution is not known for siding with losers or
those about to lose. In fact that is the time the rivals go for the jugular.
The PML(N) has wisely distanced itself by words and action. The others have
taken the opportunity to condemn and point out the gross misgovernance and
neglect that characterizes the government in Sind besides other unsavory
doings. The Co Chairman has given the governing party a boost that they would
be fools not to exploit. People are talking of their achievements — the
decision on Yemen, the CPEC game changer, the improved relationship with the
US, local government polls, the cooperative relationship with Afghanistan, the
good civil-military interaction and the coming national census next year. The
‘speech’ was ill timed and has highlighted the fall of the PPP — another reminder
that democracy works. Right now the military has the entire nation behind it as
was evident from the reaction to the barbs from India and the military is being
seen as a savior not just on the borders but deep within the country as its
forces and intelligence assets not only combat threats but build capacity in
civilian institutions to take on future threats. They are in no mood to waste
time on mythical gauntlets and other distractions focusing on the past. As far
as the advice being given to them by all and sundry — they will do what they
think needs to be done and in a time frame that they think is appropriate — not
under pressure from analysts and discussants.
After taking credit for successfully eradicating the circular debt problem, the government’s incompetency in having taken steps to chalk out and implement long-term solutions for lasting impact has become obvious. The amount now stands at Rs. 360 billion today even by humble estimates—with the addition of Rs. 1 billion per day it will not be long before it even exceeds the level at which it was when the PML (N) came into government.