By: Asem Mustafa
Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his informal conversation at Washington made it clear that he will retire after the completion of his second term stressing at the same time the need of the hour is recovery of the ailing economy and it should be priority of every stakeholder.
He made it clear that army has no role in politics and it keeps it distance from politics. General Bajwa as army chief has a few feathers in his cap and the most notable one is making country’s defence impregnable at all frontiers.
Under his command, establishing an integrated intelligence network, Pakistan forces not only secured the western border but also established peace in Balochistan besides quelling the skirmishes from the eastern border. The shooting down of Indian jets and capturing intruding pilot also happened during his tenure.
Army Chief made it clear that he is trying to make the institution strong, but politicians also have the responsibility and that is not to indulge army in political affairs. The responsibility of every institution has been determined in the Constitution of Pakistan and every organization should work in its own sphere.
The point arises and politicians keep on forgetting that with Pakistan’s security and sovereignty we as a nation exist and it should always come first and foremost.
History has exposed all those who were part of dividing the country, the framework and constitution existed but elephant egos of individuals made the nation suffer and it continues to date.
The insurgency in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other areas all happened as narrow minded individuals pandered the feeling of the masses and on the whole these individuals played a major role in political divide on linguistic and sectarian basis. Rule of law along with others peace gaining measures can safeguard the national interest and can pave the way for progress and prosperity as a whole.
Accountability across the board is the only solution so that corrupt should be taken to task once and for all without any mercy. Unity in all spheres can alone guide Pakistan out of a quagmire that is sucking the entire nation. Everyday people are dying while at the same time and every hour the relief is pouring in where is it going is a question authorities should look into.
Sindh wheat wastage has made headlines both national and international and the individuals responsible will they ever be taken to task is a question that will be buried in the archives of national secrets that never surface but everyone knows.
The political parties at the helm of affairs all have different agendas and with privileges guaranteed by the constitution these very individuals make a mockery of the system. How many have criminal and civil cases pending against them is a question that makes Pakistan and its institutions a laughing stock in the comity of nations.
Currently, the nation is grappling with two burning issues that have constitutional procedures laid out clearly but to keep masses polarized the appointment of army chief in near future and countering long march are talk of the town.
The writer is a Special Correspondent at The Dayspring