STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
My early schooling was in Cantt Public School, Abottabad. A lush green city located in a valley surrounded by forested mountains. The hill on the northern side was known as “Shimla Pahari”, Shimla Mountain. It was named for its resemblance to north Indian hill station called Shimla. Our school was on the foot of this hill. A road separated us from Frontier Force Regiment Mess. If you continued on the same road, you had Baluch Regiment Mess and other senior army officers’ residences. As kids we would enjoy these messes when uncles or elder cousins in the army would visit.
There was so much glamor in these locations and many tales of valor were posted on walls. It was all about traditions of bravery, honor and courage seen from the lens of the British Army. The officers were looked upto as “Gentlemen” and universally respected. There were minimum standards required from restaurants and cafes otherwise plates were posted that read “out of bounds for all ranks.” Having been raised in such environment, we all had a soft corner for the army. A “Gentleman” could do nothing that would tarnish their institution’s name. The standards eroded over the years. With prolonged Martial laws much of the sheen came off.
Everyone believed that soldiers would fight the enemy with everything they got, not shoot at their own people. This thesis was tested during Bhutto’s regime. PNA’s movement against his government had gained momentum. During a protest in Anarkali, Lahore, orders were given to shoot at protesting civilians. The Brigadier in-charge and a Colonel resigned and refused to carry out these orders. Thus, the thesis gained validity. It all came crashing down on 25th November 2024. A huge protest march of PTI comprising Pakistanis from all over the country came to Islamabad in response to a call given by its Chairman Imran Khan. They were seeking the rule of law and return to democracy. Laudable cause around the globe in democratic countries.
Not so in Pakistan. A curse has descended on us since April 2022 in the shape of a conniving army chief in cahoots with the political looters of the country. It took a turn for the worse when this Machiavellian Army Chief was replaced by a ruthless, fiercely ambitious Army Chief. We have the most hypocritical rule in the country. The army has been tightening the noose to control all levers of governance. Their tarnished and legless puppets in politics, having no future amongst the electorate, follow instructions blindly. The mainstream media has been bullied and bribed to become “his master’s voice”.
The only person who stands between the Army Chief’s goal of personal rule is Imran Khan. He is backed by overwhelming number of Pakistanis at home and abroad. IK is in jail since August 2023 being pressurized from all directions, yet he refuses to submit. This has further endeared him to Pakistanis who continue to respond to his calls to protest peacefully. The greatest turnout was for November 24th call. It came to an abrupt end on 25thNovember when uniformed army men opened fire on innocent civilians. The resultant “Massacre of Islamabad” is the darkest day in Pakistan’s history. Hundreds of protesters have been murdered or suffered buIlet injuries.
It has happened twice in 20th century in the Indian subcontinent. First in Jallianwala Bagh when British General Dyer opened fire on innocent civilians. Second when Pakistan Army went on a killing spree in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. Both didn’t end well for the perpetuators. It led to the end of British Raj in India and severance of Pakistan’s East wing. Violence begets violence. The latest criminally violent event has traumatized Pakistanis. They are shocked and depressed; it will morph into further anger. The doors of an era of peaceful protests, the only option for law abiding citizens, has been brutally shut. Army is actively hiding the dead bodies and injured protestors. Protesters have been kidnapped or arrested in thousands. They want to pretend it never happened. Their minions in Government and media are gloating over the spilt blood.
PTI and IK have to rethink their strategies. With the leader behind bars, the party leadership is in disarray especially in Punjab. Once the masses recover from shock, their feelings will convert into anger. Such public execution of innocent protestors will not go unheeded. We could degenerate into armed resistance. The international conscience has been jolted. As the pathways to peaceful protest within the country get blocked, it is now upto to the Overseas Pakistanis to pick up the banner.
The present Junta has to suffer the consequences of such horrendous executions. The communities around the globe who held laudable demonstrations must come together. They have to put pressure on their home Governments to apply political and economic squeeze on these criminal murderers. The economic realities show that the Junta is most vulnerable on the economic front. Stoppage of loans will bring them down like a ton of bricks.
Overseas Pakistanis can hurt the present government by reducing their home bound remittances through official channels. Only send what is absolutely essential for sustaining your dependents. This drop in remittances will suffocate the Junta and bring them to their knees. Providence abhors arrogance. It has to be broken to save our nation from degenerating into a despotic rule.
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