Cat on a hot tin roof

In the past, former president Asif Ali Zardari had complained of tomcats lapping up all the milk but last week it was his own demeanor that resembled a cat on a hot tin roof – angry, frustrated and agitated – ready to jump to the peril of her own safety. As for the common man listening to his unusual speech and trying to figure out the cause, the three ancient words – zar, zameen and zan (money, land and women) were never far from his thoughts.
All political parties had supported the Rangers operation in Karachi but they miscalculated one thing in a state of self-delusion. They all thought that the Rangers will close the rival’s shop while they could keep theirs open for business as usual. They received a rude shock as the Rangers started visiting areas few expected they would. On their part, the Rangers were right in stepping on the money line as without this they could continue fighting but without tangible results.
Zardari sang the usual paeans for democracy and claimed monopoly of wisdom on internal and external threat perceptions. As for his personal charisma, there was a report in a section of the press that two candidates in a recent election refused to have his photograph on the billboard along with those of the Bhutto family out of fears that it would keep the voters away.
But democracy, sadly, has been reduced to such a farce by the political leaders that in the public perception, democracy and corruption are now two faces of the same coin. So when Zardari speaks about promoting democracy, the average Joe takes it as promoting its new synonym.
The future of Pakistan no doubt lies in democracy but it is becoming obvious by the day that the kind of democracy championed by Zardari and Nawaz will bring no progress to the country. Greece today is sinking not because of military interference in governance but due to an overdose of the wrong kind of democracy. It is said that there are more Mercedes cars in Athens alone than there are in the whole of Germany. If Nawaz has his way we could have more metros in Pakistan than there are in Turkey.
If democracy is to do any good to Pakistan, there has to be a change of environment where politics do not patronise organised corruption and crime and the establishment does not impulsively enter civilian governance space. There has to be a stable equilibrium where neither does corruption go through the roof nor do the impulses to encroach in others’ space grow too strong.
Zardari’s lecture on three years versus eternity was no pearl of wisdom either. Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, had also taunted the military on the floor of the assembly as an organisation of the ‘salaried class’ when all that the ISI had done then was to expose a memo whose existence the country’s Supreme Court had already established through investigation.
Zardari and his party officials never tire of claiming that they stand for ‘strengthening’ the institutions of the country but have yet to name one institution that successive PPP governments have strengthened. The fact is that during the PPP’s recent five-year rule, the only progress made has been on the global corruption index.
Strangely, it also doesn’t occur to the PPP leadership that had the Sindh government been doing an honest day’s job, for which it had ample time, there wouldn’t have been any need for Rangers to clear the mess as. So then, is the public wrong in its perception that not only are the rulers responsible for the present crisis but they are a part of this malaise as well?
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s statement about not tolerating any insult to the military is welcome but such sentiments should be in letter and spirit and not appear feigned. They should also trickle down to his party officials who occasionally strike a different tune. Nawaz, as is generally felt, is prone to making blunders and Zardari, on any given day, can outsmart him on the political chessboard.
Be that as it may, the military should not be content with a positive image built on the sacrifices of its martyred soldiers. It should now move towards the time-tested virtue of uprightness.
Until such time that democracy takes a more promising form than what it is at the moment, it will be the military which will be the last line of defence for this country. It should therefore look inward for some introspection and be on an even higher moral ground. A particular point to ponder is why an upcoming and bright young officer up to the rank of a lieutenant colonel is clean as a whistle when it comes to his honesty and integrity but on reaching dizzying heights, some are tainted.
For the military’s own good, it has to negate the current perception prevailing, both in its own ranks and in the mind of the general public, that there is ‘immunity for all and punishment for none’ in the higher echelons. The simple remedial solution to this lies in following the laws of Allah – universal justice for everyone.
The view that the morale of a soldier fighting against terrorism will be adversely affected if the feet of those erring at the higher echelon are put near the fire is also a myth. If anything, they will be pleased with this demonstration of justice. After all aren’t the soldiers punished for relatively minor offences?
This is not to suggest that after a life in uniform some people should be paraded in courts like ordinary criminals, although it would do no harm if an odd incorrigible offender is thrown to the ‘wolves’ in the civil courts – for deterrence value. But as a general thrust towards a lean and mean fighting machine, the military must deal with corrupt elements within its ranks in a comprehensive way so that no one in the future threatens to issue their ‘own lists’ – as Zardari did.
The Rangers’ efforts in Karachi have been laudable so far but in view of the collision course adopted by the PPP-MQM, the civil-military leadership should think ahead to see where it will end. The Rangers can raid and apprehend criminals but the investigative powers and professional expertise to collect evidence robust enough to withstand legal scrutiny in civil courts is with the Sindh police. There is also a view that the Rangers are reluctant to assume those powers because it is not in their line of training and will be at risk of embarrassment in the courts.
If the Sindh police is not on the same wavelength as the federation, the resultant police investigation will prove futile in any conviction – especially in cases involving strong political forces in the province. Zardari at the recent passing out parade of police recruits in Karachi was rather unusual and perhaps noticed by few.
Zardari has also raised the stakes for Nawaz and the COAS who are both very passionate about tangible progress on he CPEC. Zardari knows something about the impact of the missing Form 15s on the outcome of the judicial commission’s findings. The military is just about balanced on three pods and cannot afford any further outreach. It has zero appetite for power after Musharaf’s disastrous decade-long rule.
The emerging developments in the aftermath of Zardari’s speech do not auger well for the country. These are challenging times and the next few weeks could determine the shape of things to come.
The writer is a retired vice admiral. Email: tajkhattak@ymail.com