The best historical insights presented in these pages regarding Pakistan also serve as comments on current events. We are a nation that repeats the same errors, committed by the same offenders, and aggravates the same group of citizens.
Recently, the army seems determined to persuade anyone who would listen that they have renounced political interference. In recent weeks, the current DG ISPR has made it a point to emphasize this on numerous occasions. The army (let’s call it the establishment from now on) will keep out of politics, as reiterated by the now-confirmed (even by our standards) soon-to-be-outgoing chief of army staff, who reaffirmed (let’s call it) the establishment’s position.
Never again, again
This is the head of a government department who, on paper, reports to the secretary of defense, who reports to the minister of defense, who reports to the prime minister and serves at his or her pleasure.
The established interference is normally directed towards the PM’s office and the piece of paper that would prove the aforementioned hierarchy of authority is currently being used to create a paper airplane by a child in a cantonment.
Without sanctions or public accountability for the establishment’s entry into politics in the past, which is often invariably very recent and terrible, these are little more than forbearance pledges made by someone exhibiting indications of compulsion. In the same way that a person with an addiction vows to rehabilitate when confronted with the guilt of realization, so does our system.
And to prove they are serious this time, Faisal Vawda holds a press conference that is so muddled that the folks whose boot he used to bring on TV shows as a talisman need to attend to clarify.
In response to accusations of political involvement, the DG ISPR challenges anyone to identify an incident in which his organization interfered with the electoral process.
The challenge came with one stipulation: the event must occur after the March 2021 Senate elections. In case you are unclear, these are not the Senate elections during which Hasil Bizenjo accused the then-Director General of the ISI of direct interference. These are the Senate elections in which Musadik Malik and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar discovered hidden cameras in the voting booths.
The slip-up
Nevertheless, whenever the sun begins to set, sometimes even on the same day whose rise prompted the promise, desire kicks in and washes away remorse.
Imran Khan has been dismissed by an election commission that deemed the 2018 general elections to be legitimate. The same organization detected misconduct only after a public by-election debacle in Daska when it was widely rumored that then-prime minister Imran had to resort to more crude ways of rigging than the typical suspects.
He is disqualified due to the gifts he accepted and failed to declare.
This occurs in a nation where former military leaders reside overseas with untraceable wealth. Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Asim Saleem Bajwa explains an empire through screenshots of a Microsoft Word document, and the then-prime minister Imran expresses his satisfaction.
When Lt. Gen. (R) Bajwa demonstrates a desire to be held accountable, it is as a phone-in guest on Shahzeb Khanzada’s show and solely in response to basic questions.
His single statement of assets was when he was selected as the prime minister’s special assistant. Among his assets is a Land Cruiser he claims to have purchased for Rs 3 million. Back when Imran was satisfied with the establishment, he believed that not only should the prime minister be observed by the agencies, but that if you are hesitant to submit to such monitoring, you must have something to conceal.
Continuing with force
Previously, Imran supported and later championed calls for Nawaz to be removed from the political race for similar allegations of unethical behavior — for not declaring an unreceived salary, which may have led to the discovery of several companies in the Gulf that belonged to his family and for which his family cannot account for the wealth.
When Imran was leading these protests to aid the establishment in exposing the Sharifs’ moral compass as a legal flaw, the then-prime minister Sharif confronted the ISI chief in front of the army chief with irrefutable proof of the latter’s political interference in support of the dharna in front of Parliament House.
The only outcome was that the then-COAS, Raheel Sharif, reprimanded the ISI director and made his pledge to cease. The latter continued to serve, retired with full benefits, and was recently in the news again because he addressed a public gathering and explained why he contributed to the formation of a third political group.
Previously, when the United States discovered Osama bin Laden living a mile from the Kakul military academy in Abbottabad, the then-head of the ISI, Shuja Pasha, addressed a joint session of Parliament to explain the intelligence failure and security breach.
He told the legislators that he was even willing to quit. The chief of the army staff stated that he was willing to be held accountable “even before Parliament.” Both retired ultimately, with no resignations between them. Pervez Elahi credits Pasha with assisting Imran Khan in assembling electable candidates for the 2013 elections. Elahi asserts that Pasha stole his candidates, and when questioned, Pasha forgot his position and attempted to recruit the Elahi to Khan’s camp.
The actual query
In actuality, people do not typically abandon troublesome, repeating behaviors due to remorse. It is not the sudden realization that they are inadequately caring for a young child or that they are bullying a family member that causes them to snap out of their slumber. This is the material of Bollywood films.
In truth, people quit most frequently when they can no longer afford their drug of choice and when alternatives are unavailable. They give up when their family members have the fortitude to confront them in the home they have so frequently ruined. When their family finds ways to isolate them for being troublesome, they stop. Or, they give up when their children reach an age where they can no longer be pushed around.
Alternately, they occasionally rectify their mistakes when their family performs an intervention. When all the unjustly yelled-at children and abandoned partners unite and stand firm on enough being enough, it will be time for a change. However, this takes us to our unfortunate predicament.
Who will intervene in conjunction with the intervenors?
That is certainly asking too much.
The last remaining question is when will the children mature?
