EDITORIAL: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa minced few words, at the passing out parade of the 146th Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) long course, as he stressed the need for regional peace and warned that “the price of status quo will be devastating for all of us”.
Everybody knows that “the world has changed” and “as opposed to fighting each other, we should collectively fight hunger, poverty, illiteracy, population explosion, climate change and disease”.
Yet the divisive and vindictive politics of this region continues to force entire sovereign nations down the path of needless and reckless confrontation, depriving the people of south Asia of their right to “prosperity and better living conditions”, which is a shame.
He also very rightly pointed out that Pakistan has always extended the hand of peace, while being careful to remind everybody, with good reason, that the offer to work together for a better future should never be seen as our weakness.
Indeed, as the Pak-India deadlock continues to hold south Asian progress back even after seven-and-a-half weary decades, Pakistan has time and again, especially over the last few years, offered to put everything on the table, including the most contentious issues, so things can be settled once and for all. And it is always the Indian side that bends over backwards to maintain the status quo.
Interestingly, this matter was also raised in India just the other day by one of the frontrunners for the presidency of the main Indian opposition party, Congress, who attacked the Modi administration for being too rigid in the face of repeated offers, even by the Pakistani COAS, to return to the table.
Why the BJP would want none of that at the moment is quite understandable, but it says a lot that a restructured, perhaps even resurgent, Congress party might take this line seriously; maybe even forcing the ruling party to balance the scales with a surprise of its own down the road.
It is very important to note, though, that spot-on as the COAS was, even such truth often fails to pack a formidable punch when internally we are such a house divided. Even the Congress Party politician that made the surprising remarks began by pointing out that now the Pakistani government is pretty weak, but there was a time when its overtures of peace should have been reciprocated.
That is why all eyes, and ears, were on what the COAS was going to say about the domestic situation; especially since a particular brand of angry politics has now gone to the extent of making even the most respected and vital state institutions fair game in its naked lust for power.
Warning cadets about to take their responsibilities as officers in the Pakistani army against getting distracted by “fake news and political wrangling” was crucial. It is pretty clear that the profusion of social media, which was supposed to bring the world together and encourage healthy debate, has done exactly the opposite in Pakistan.
For, we are now the most divided we’ve been as a society, and dominant trends on social feeds almost always range between disrespect, public shaming and outright obscenity. To shield yourself and your entire career from such forces, that too in this day and age, is indeed a big ask. But, then, these cadets didn’t line up for their commissions because they expected a walk in the park.
Let’s remember that every law enforcement officer’s oath cites defending the country against all forms of threats, foreign and domestic. That is why the COAS hit the nail on the head by reminding them of their duties inside and outside the borders that they are now sworn to defend to the last drop of their blood.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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