A day revisited

This refers to the article, ‘A day revisited’ (March 30) by Umar Gilani. A case was made by the writer about eclipsing the constitutional flavour of the Pakistan Day by the military pageant. One failed to understand why the writer was criticising praetorianism and eulogising constitutionalism, citing the pageant of the impressive Pakistan Day parade.
By reintroducing the tri-service parade after seven years the military and civilian leadership gave a reassuring message of hope and resolve to a nation buffeted by terrorism. The writer employed specious arguments to conflate the return of the parade with the rise of militarism and praetorianism without taking into account the favourable feedback of the masses. It was a clear message to terrorists and criminals that a proud nation knows how to celebrate its national days without genuflecting to the forces of bigotry, crime and extremism.
Brig (r) Raashid Wali Janjua
Rawalpindi