EDITORIAL: Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Ahmed Sharif’s remarks during his press conference on Tuesday prior to taking questions rightly focused on tensions with Afghanistan.
In reference to the suicide bombing on Chinese engineers convoy in Bisham tehsil Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), he categorically stated that the “the planning of this terrorism act was done in Afghanistan.
Terrorists and their facilitators were also being controlled from Afghanistan, and the suicide bomber was also an Afghan.” Indian agencies, he added, had “killed Pakistani citizens Shahid Latif and Muhammad Riaz on the directives of the Indian government” — a charge that cannot be dismissed by the rest of the world as traditional blame game between the two South Asian rivals given that the Indian government was accused of complicity in the killing of its detractors in Canada and the US this year.
Attacks across the border are not only likely to impact negatively on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, considered critical for the Pakistan economy, but may also delay the inflow of pledged investments from friendly countries, particularly Saudi Arabia whose high-powered 50-member business delegation led by Assistant Minister for Investment completed its visit to Pakistan early this week on a positive note that prompted Shehbaz Sharif to brief the cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the delegation commended the preparedness and confidence of the Pakistani team members.
To ease security concerns of foreign investors, the timing of the press briefing was opportune and would have provided a high degree of comfort to all prospective investors to this country.
However, nearly all the questions asked by the media were of a political nature and while the anti-establishment political elements may speculate that they were “planted” and cite the prompt response of DG ISPR with relevant footage as proof of their accusation, yet the benefit of doubt must rest with the establishment due to lack of definitive proof. Be that as it may, three elements of intense speculation in the media fuelling uncertainty with implications on the fragile economy were put to rest.
First, DG categorically stated that no discussion on a deal with any political party involved with the 9 May destruction of army property is under consideration, not unless there is an earnest apology and a pledge to forego politics of hate and adopt constructive politics. In any event, he added, dialogue should be between political parties with no involvement of the army.
Second, there is no doubt as to which party was involved as damning footage is available - footage that so claimed Defence Minister Khwaja Asif was shot by the perpetrators of the attack. However, the DG added that if the guilty are not brought to justice, then there will be a question mark on the judicial system.
The judiciary must sentence the perpetrators and those commanding them according to the constitution and the law. He categorically stated that there will be no objection to setting up a judicial commission, though if it is created, then it should also investigate the 2014 dharna and the attack on Pakistan Television.
And finally, the DG accused a political party of spewing a litany of lies and propaganda, thereby brainwashing everyone against the army, its leadership, agencies and institutions.
As the first anniversary of that fateful day was yesterday (9 May) the DG’s comments lay to rest all speculation about the prevailing mood of the armed forces, though it does raise questions of the institution’s perception of the success of its legitimate narrative one year on.
The general public is reeling from inflation and for the Minister for Finance to state the same day during a press conference that inflation is slowing down is a narrative that is not going to find too much traction as: (i) even at 17 percent for April, down from 29.7 percent in December 2023, the erosion of the rupee is compelling households in the private sector (who have not witnessed a pay raise for a couple of years as only the public sector has been budgeted a pay rise at the taxpayers’ expense) to slash essential expenditure further to meet their expenses.
Anecdotal surveys show that many a middle class household is unable to meet their children’s school fees; (ii) GDP for the second quarter of the current year registered 1 percent and with the discount rate at a high of 22 percent and the government’s reliance on domestic borrowing increasing, thereby crowding out private sector credit still further, jobs cuts by the private sector continue; (iii) the rise in utility rates as well as the petroleum levy as per the IMF conditions is further eroding the income of the middle class; and (iv) there is talk of slashing budgeted current expenditure but without any success. The DG did mention that the army paid 100 billion rupees in taxes and duties, however it would have been more relevant had he noted the amount of income tax paid by army personnel as duties are levied on procurement and paid for by the taxpayers.
But perhaps the scam that has eroded the narrative the most is the wheat scandal, whereby the federal government is seen to be sheltering the Caretakers who, so goes the grapevine, are also protected by powerful stakeholders.
To debunk the lies and propaganda of a political party and to promote one’s narrative requires accountability of the leadership of all political parties and not just one, and at the same time there is a need to make voluntary sacrifices in terms of a massive decrease in the next budget that would free up resources for physical and social infrastructure development.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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