Articles of the year 2016
Published on February 04th 2016
The Pakistan Army has won a gold medal in a competition where they were pitted against top competitors from 140 countries. The Pakistan Army won this gold medal at an annual international military patrolling exercise, ‘Exercise Cambrian Patrol’ held in the UK. Pakistan’s elite force tops the list of the worlds most formidable special units. The competition consisted of all aspects of military training and performance.
These two items reported only in the Express tribune, and the rest of the Pakistani media is strangely silent on this spectacular success. Neither has there been any mention on any of the TV talk shows. Surely this achievement should bolster the spirits of a country that is otherwise at the bottom of many indices showing development, power, sanitation, infanticide and of course corruption. It seems that Gen Raheel and his army are the only shining lights in an otherwise dismal array of a people being pushed by corrupt politicians to the edge of the abyss. Where the future of the people is doomed to deteriorate further.
The inherent hopelessness of the people, who are lulled into complacency by the empty slogans of a corrupt and inept political system, that has a stranglehold on the poor Pakistanis.
A Prime Minister who is loathe to attend office, and who is shown on TV in meetings with world leaders with a sheaf of crib sheets as aide-memoires. One wonders how a young Nawaz managed to pass any exam without being reprimanded for cheating. After all how could he spend thirty minutes in the Oval Office without his crib sheets! Why could his aides not accompany him to the meetings?
Pakistan has shown that it is easily fooled by its political leadership into a false sense of complacency, until the next rabble rouser comes along, to show the looted Peoples money in Park Lane, Surrey mansion, the two Bilawal Houses, while the Steel Mill and PIA are near to collapse.
The only team that is functioning is that of Gen Raheel, which is winning its war against terrorism. Unfortunately all the politicians except Imran Khan are arrayed against Gen Raheel, as they would rather a Status Quo, so that their pilferage can continue, and present and past sins be condoned. They are like the Roman Catholics of old who are pardoned after confessing to their sins, with a punishment of a few Hail Marys. Not unlike Benazirs NROS. Freed to sin again.
However Gen Raheel is being wrestled at every step, for the noose that is being tightened around the politicos, are resisting, claiming that they are elected by the people, and per their logic, they have been tried in the court of the people, and freed to loot again.
The flaw in this argument being, that under the Election laws, the returning officer, and the courts should have declared most of the politicians ineligible or disqualified for improper documentation, or misdeclaration of assets. Surely an apartment in Park Lane should have an appropriate source of income.? These are grounds for disqualification, as is the confession of money laundering of the incumbent Finance Minister. Two ex Prime Ministers convicted in a court of Law for corrupt practice, are back in the assembly again.?
And yet these same corrupt politicians have cleverly, by skilful use of their numbers resumed their power over the assemblies. This power can be used to do many things including the sacking of the Army Chief. This issue is the hot topic under debate, and the very future of the country is at stake. While the politicians have erected a wall to protect themselves under a ‘Scratch my back,and I’ll scratch yours.’ Arrangement..having brought the judiciary firmly under control, the politician has extended his power so that he is unassailable, and short of an outright revolution there is no way to remove an incumbent. The foreign countries who are all in favour of democracy, are united in the opposition to a dictatorship, or any other form of government that is not to their liking or to their bidding. And so we have a country that is under the control of crooked politicians, and who have lined up their friends in Pakistan and abroad.
It is incredible that these friends of the Sharifs abroad, who are all united when it comes to maintaining the status quo. Regardless of the cost to Pakistan. In the event of a revolution, these same ‘friends’ of the politicians will manouver to return their favourites to power.
The situation in Pakistan is complex, and yet simple. The politician in Pakistan has by virtue of his incompetence, come close to committing suicide, without any assistance. With a comfortable, and sometimes formidable majority, Nawaz has been elected three times as Prime Minister. And three times he has lost the Premiership. A huge achievement. An equally huge achievement is losing the Prime Ministership three times. Surely he should have learned how to stay in power? In developing countries, losing power is tantamount to losing ones head. Nawaz has indeed been lucky, to have retained his head, but it seems he is tempting the fates, again.
With a star performer in the wings, Nawaz should be looking over
his shoulder, to fend off any threats, and more importantly to improve his own performance. Playing with buses and toy trains will not give Pakistan the boost to bring it forward. We need hard work, without the Gullu Butts to drag it down. No slogans. Does Nawaz really understand the cost to Pakistan of accepting 45 billion dollars of Chinese Aid. This aid may be more discomfiting than the entire American aid stranglehold. We will be lucky if the Chinese are not as mercenary as the US or the East India company. If indeed the Sharif Bros fancy their place in history as monarchs, they should study carefully the pitiful end of the Moghul empire.
With an outstanding army, that is performing brilliantly, it is too dangerous to be caught napping with an incompetent team, for this non-performance will invite a change. Every politician is caught in his own narrow agenda of their own devices. Other than Imran no one is concerned with the future of Pakistan, except,for Gen Raheel. And this may just be our salvation from the rapacious looters, governing us today.